Roaring Hearts Pretty Cure
by DarkPrinceCait
Summary: [Fanseries] The princess of the magical kingdom of Illuster and her loyal bodyguard are driven from their homeland after it falls to the sinsister Void Clan. Now stranded on Earth, their only hope of taking back what they hold dear is to become the Legendary Warriors Pretty Cure and restore the Rainbow Melody that once protected Illuster.
1. Episode One

**Episode One** : The Lady and Knight's Great Escape!

* * *

In the end, she was all alone.

The sky, once clear and blue, was now a dull shade of gray. The sun no longer shimmered or provided the warmth she had always counted on it to give. Everything around her, from the path beneath her feet to the ornate buildings surrounding her, to the flora and fauna in the area, had been sapped of its color. No wind blew as she staggered through the dead landscape she had once called home, and no sound met her ears, outside of the ones she produced herself - hurried and terribly unsteady footfalls, breathing that teetered on the edge of hyperventilation, and the occasional desperate plea for someone, anyone to help her.

But nobody came.

There were no people around her, just things that _used_ to be people. Every few paces, there one was, collapsed on the ground in a heap, staring out into space with glassy eyes and blank faces, not unlike abandoned dolls. Their unmoving forms were as drained of color as everything else around her, and their skin felt cold and hard to the touch. One would be forgiven for assuming they were dead, but she knew the truth. Every single person she ran across as she continued her futile hunt for any survivor besides herself, was very much alive, if you could call the state that they had been frozen into living.

Things looked grim. Still, she kept calling out, in blind hope that someone, anyone would answer her pleas.

No response.

And after she had wandered until her feet ached too much to continue onward and yelled until her voice had all but given out, the reality finally sank in, and her legs gave out from under her, leaving her to collapse on the ground in a sprawled heap. There she remained, a trembling form in a frozen land, hot tears rolling down her face as the cold, cruel truth of the matter took hold.

They were gone. All of them were lost to her. They would all remain that way eternally. And it was _all her fault_.

"I couldn't save any of them… not a single one!"

* * *

Princess Nerissa of Illuster jolted awake in a cold sweat, shuddering at the last echoes of what was by now an all-too-familiar nightmare.

"That again…"

It took Nerissa a moment to reorient herself. She drew deep breaths and counted backwards from ten as she reviewed the facts of her reality in her mind. She always had to after this nightmare, given how vivid it was.

She was not wandering around, frightened and isolated, she was safe and secure within her bedchamber. Said bedchamber was warm and opulent, a far cry from the cold and lifeless settings of her dream. And as for Nerissa herself… it would be a lie to say she had nothing to worry about, but those worries were nowhere near as grim as losing everyone in her kingdom.

A bit of sunlight was creeping in from between the pale violet velvet curtains of the bedchamber window. She drifted off beside said window, while seated in one of her favorite chairs. Just needed to rest her eyes after a sleep plagued by pre-birthday jitters, followed by a morning of preparations for the evening gala that would be her fourteenth birthday. And then, that dream once more. Why now? And why did it weigh on her so?

Nerissa let out a soft noise of consternation before rising to her feet and pulling aside the curtains, letting sunlight into the room and giving her a view of the castle grounds and beyond that, the kingdom of Illuster itself.

Illuster was quite the beautiful kingdom, and Nerissa could not be prouder to call it home and herself a member of its royal family. The residence of said royal family, the Celestial Citadel, sat on a high hill directly in the center of the kingdom - an ornate and pristine concentric set of buildings fortress in white and gold, with the rest of the kingdom radiating out from the Citadel's center like ripples in a pond.

From her vantage point high in one of the Citadel's towers, Nerissa could see several people - the vast majority of them brown-skinned, like herself - milling about around the castle grounds. Most were human, but not all - there were a tiny handful of humanoids with animal features among their number. Many were busy preparing for her birthday, and Nerissa knew many of the civilians who inhabited Illuster's outer rims were as well.

That was one of those things about being royalty - what would be a mere birthday for any other girl out there became a national occasion. And when one was royalty, one could not take national occasions lightly.

In a physical sense, Nerissa was certainly prepared for her fourteenth birthday. Her wavy and shoulder-length violet hair had been done up into a bun much more ornate than her usual lose one, and her soft features and crimson eyes were accentuated wonderfully by the cosmetics she wore. Every bit of her attire, from her silver tiara to her intricate pink satin dress, to her high-heeled shoes ensured that she would make a radiant sight this evening.

But spiritually, she…. well, fourteen was a major milestone, was it not? That much closer to being an adult. That much closer to being a queen. And on top of that...

 _lifeless sky, lifeless earth, lifeless people, gone, all gone…_

... _no_. She had to put _that_ out of her mind. It was all just a terrible dream.

Nerissa closed her eyes and worked to listen to the faint and soothing melody that was perpetually carried on Illuster's wind. Even when she could not hear it, she could always feel it radiating warmly in her heart.

"As long as the Rainbow Melody plays, nothing can harm us here in Illuster."

Nerissa had been taught that as a young child, and in the past, it had served as a guaranteed reassurance. And although the words rang rather hollow at present, they would have to do for the moment. She was a princess, after all, and a princess who would be the center of the kingdom's attention tonight. Royalty could never afford to drag their subjects down with their own concerns.

A series of rapid-fire and rhythmical knocks sounded at one of the high and ornate doors of her bedchamber, distracting Nerissa from any further fretting. Without missing a beat, she tore her attention away from the window and replied with a prompt

"You may enter, Amber."

Verifying the identity of the person outside the door was not necessary, not in this case. Nerissa had known this particular individual since the two of them were small children. She was familiar with many of her behaviors, including exactly how she knocked on doors.

Nerissa's bedchamber doors swung open, and Amber Lowe, a girl the same age as Nerissa, entered. She was a full head taller than Nerissa, who just barely cleared five feet, and athletically built, if a bit on the lanky side. Her dirty blond hair was trimmed into a short bob, her eyes were russet brown, and her features were the sort that could readily be called handsome. Like most members of Illuster's royal guard, she was dressed smartly in a gold and white guardsman's uniform. Her posture was rigid, and although she was tying for detached stoicism, there was a hint of anxiety written on her face. Most would have missed this. Nerissa couldn't if she tried.

"Oh my… is it Celes again?"

Amber nodded stiffly. "Unfortunately, you are correct, Lady Nerissa. Lady Celes has disappeared on us once more."

Amber's delivery was clipped and formal, as expected of someone in her position. It also made some small part of Nerissa's heart ache, just as it had for six-odd years. She did her best to push that aside, just as she did her best to disregard the nervous ache that gnawed at her stomach in the wake of her nightmare. No, there were other things she could be focusing on. Like her younger sister's decision to vanish on the bodyguard she shared with Nerissa yet again.

"I was afraid that was the case." she sighed in exasperation. "And today, of all times…"

Amber immediately dropped into a bow of apology. "I sincerely apologize, Lady Nerissa. I did not allow Lady Celes to so much as leave my sight until I had escorted her to Altair's side. It isn't the place of a bodyguard to go dragging her princess around, especially on a day like this but-"

"Amber, you've done nothing wrong!" Nerissa exclaimed. "You're always free to come to me for assistance! Has that not always been the case?"

Amber was now looking Nerissa in the eyes, but she still looked quite tense. "Lady Celes is… not fond of me. But she adores her elder sister. And I have no right to drag Mother or the other guards into the results of my carelessness. So… here I am now. If this sits well with you, Lady Nerissa."

"It really is, I promise!" Nerissa insisted. "It isn't as if I'm busy at the moment. I'm just… worried."

Said worries were not entirely focused on Celes and whatever she had been up to, mind, but Amber didn't have to know that.

Amber seemed _slightly_ more relaxed. "As am I, Lady Nerissa. This is the fourth time this week. Altair said she may as well have vanished into thin air mid-lesson."

"Ah… really? And Celes is usually so eager to apply herself at her magecraft lessons. This really is odd…" Nerissa hummed pensively, turning the matter of her little sister's strange behavior over in her mind for a moment before clapping her hands together. "Never mind that. Standing around and speculating won't help us find Celes. Let's be off!"

It took Amber a moment to register that her princess had taken off without her. Nerissa could be that impulsive sometimes.

"Ah, Lady Nerissa! Please wait!"

Amber had to run to catch up to Nerissa. Her princess could also be quite light on her feet, even in a fancy gown and heels.

* * *

Progress on the search for Princess Celes was slow going. Neither Nerissa nor Amber wanted to take their time searching, but alas, a princess, especially a princess on her birthday, could never be afforded much peace to herself. Every leg of Nerissa and Amber's hunt for Princess Celes was met with castle staff eager for the princess' thoughts and input on one thing or another. And why not, Nerissa firmly reminded herself every time it happened. It was quite literally their job to please her.

Apparently, Celes had been all over the place in the past while - stopping by the kitchens, sneaking around past royal guards, raiding the gardens, and evading her tutors. That was all rather eyebrow-raising in itself. Unfortunately, no one the two spoke to knew what Celes was up to or where she had ended up in the end. And all of them had requests about Nerissa's birthday gala and favors to ask of the princess, things that took up a fair amount of time.

By the time Nerissa and Amber made it to the royal library, the two girls had spent over two hours searching for Celes and maybe fifteen minutes out of all that time making any meaningful progress towards that search, something that was clearly eating at Nerissa. She looked apologetically at Amber as the two paused near the library's entrance.

"Amber, I'm sorry to keep wasting your time like this But, it isn't as if I can just tell them 'no'. I am their princess, after all…"

Amber stared blankly at Nerissa as if the latter had spouted a string of absolute gibberish. "That's right. You're our princess. We're here to serve your needs. Servants have no time _you_ have to worry about wasting, Lady Nerissa."

A bit of heat surged within Nerissa's chest. For a moment, she wanted to vent it out... but she demurred. This was what Amber wanted,after all. Instead, she did her best to cut through the awkwardness that was beginning to build up between them with a cough into her hand and a stiff-sounding

"Erm, _anyway…_ I'm certain Siri can help us! Celes is rather fond of them, after all."

Amber said nothing about Nerissa's sudden swerve away from the current topic. She simply dutifully followed at Nerissa into the royal library of Illuster. It wasn't as if she had a right to say anything anyway.

* * *

Nerissa's eyes were sparkling as she stepped into the royal library of Illuster. This was her favorite part of the Celestial Citadel - a high-ceilinged and absurdly spacious dome with floors that seemed to stretch upwards infinitely, packed with multiple holographic display screens, buzzing with numerous librarians, and lined with thousands of shelves which held an infinite-seeming multitude of books. For a moment, Nerissa's eyes flitted towards one of the shelves, before she forcibly tore her gaze away.

"Not now, you fool. The books are not going anywhere. You don't have your glasses anyway. _Focus_."

For just a moment, there was the slightest hint of smile playing on Amber's lips… and then that smile faded abruptly, and she was back to playing near-expressionless bodyguard as she dutifully followed Nerissa further into the library.

It didn't take either girl long to find "Siri", or rather, Sirius, the head librarian. At present, they were standing at an immense desk near the entrance of the library. They were a tall and willowy individual with short and wavy white hair, icy blue eyes, pointed, furry white ears, and a fluffy white tail, who was clad in a neatly tailored silver and white suit. They sported a silver star-shaped marking on their forehead, carried an ornate-looking gold case at their waist, and wore a pair of smart silver spectacles. The moment they sensed Nerissa and Amber's approach, they dismissed the display screen they had been perusing with a wave of their hand.

"Ah! Lady Nerissa! And Amber as well! How very, very nice to see you here!"

Sirius clearly meant every word of that - not only were their ears pricked up, their tail was wagging a mile a minute as they sprang up from their desk, putting away their reading glasses in a fluid motion, and bounded towards Nerissa and Amber, a reaction that drew an amused giggle from a few passing-by scholars.

Nerissa curtsied graciously. "The pleasure is all mine, Siri. How have you been keeping?"

"Same as always, same as always." Sirius said cheerfully. "Give me information to chew on and some good books, and I'm a happy dog!" A pause, then. "Now… under normal circumstances, I'd point you towards new titles to read… but judging by the look on your face, and erm... recent events, you have better things to do right now, right, right?"

"Perceptive as always, Siri." Nerissa said. "I am currently assisting Amber in locating Celes… again. Judging by what you just said, I'm assuming you saw her?"

"Our princess is perceptive as well, yes, yes. That's correct. - Lady Celes stepped into the library, started pursuing one of our databases… and then I saw her, she saw that I saw her, she closed out of the database like it was about to bite her hand, then… _hmm…"_

Whatever Sirius was going to say from there turned into a great deal of thoughtful humming, their tail swishing back and forth all the while. Maybe things would have continued that way for some time longer, had Amber not finally spoke up.

"Apologies for speaking out of turn, but and then _what,_ Sirius."

Sirius looked slightly cowed at Amber's words. Nevertheless, they did not abandon their cheerful tone. "Well… she ran off. As to _where,_ I'm not exactly sure. Judging by the direction she was traveling in and what I know of Lady Celes, I'm going to say she was either headed for the gardens or the Temple of the Stars."

Nerissa's eyes widened at the latter point. "Of course! That _would_ be where she ended up in the end! Come on, Amber, let's go!" Without thinking, she grabbed the other girl's wrist and started forwards, just as if things were like they had been six years ago.

"Lady Nerissa, please-"

But that wasn't the case, Nerissa realized the very moment Amber spoke. It wasn't like it was back then at all. The fact that Amber stood there, rigid and expressionless the moment Nerissa did that instead of eagerly following her princess was proof enough.

Now it was Nerissa's turn to look cowed. She hesitatingly letting go of Amber's wrist, a thin and sheepish smile of apology on her face. "Sorry, Amber, I wasn't thinking."

More blank staring. "I'm just your bodyguard, I don't-"

Sirius immediately cut into between the two of them. "Ahaha… pardon for interrupting, but do you mind if I come with? I don't have anything I really need to do at the moment, and I am as much a steward of _that_ place as I am _this_ place, so-"

Nerissa looked quite relieved. "Of course, Siri. I'd love to have you along!" Amber gave no such assent, but she raised no objection either.

And off princess, bodyguard, and librarian went, all three trying to pretend there was nothing awkward or uncomfortable hanging between two out of three of them.

* * *

Stepping within the Temple of the Stars always felt like slipping into another world.

Perhaps it was the fact that the Rainbow Melody no longer required straining to be heard here - Nerissa, Amber, and Sirius could easily hear it playing, soft, sweet, and ever-present, reverberating around the shining pristine white and gold domes of the Temple. Likewise, the warmth it brought to their hearts felt that many times more intense than the mild comfort it provided outside the Temple, like being embraced in a comforting hug from a loved one.

Perhaps it was the presence of the four statues at the center of the temple's innermost chamber - four ornately-dressed women standing on four pedestals, arranged so that all four were facing one another. Each held a crystal close to their chest - one pink, one blue, one orange, and one white, and each was carved out of pale gray marble with such delicacy and detail that they seemed seconds away from coming to life and stepping off their pedestals.

Perhaps it was the glowing wisps of magic that rose and floated through the air like tiny fireflies, so great was the concentration of mana in the air. And why not? This was, after all, the seat of what was quite literally the greatest magical resource Illuster had.

Perhaps it was the presence of that resource, which served as the source of the Rainbow Melody itself - an ornate gold and silver music box, which sat on a golden pedestal, inaccessible without ascending the ornate-looking stairs in front of it, itself surrounded by the pedestals with the statues atop them. The heart shape on the lid of said music box was divided into four sections - one pink, one blue, one orange, one white, and the Rainbow Melody could be heard more clearly than ever the closer one drew towards it.

Perhaps it was some combination of the above? Nerissa had no time to puzzle it out, not when she had something - or someone - more pressing right in front of her.

"Celes!"

Princess Celes, the younger of the two princesses of Illuster, had been seated on the stairs leading up to the music box enshrined in the Temple of the Stars… right until her older sister called out to her, causing her to nearly jump a foot in the air out of shock. Her violet eyes widened as she took in the sight of her older sister, their bodyguard, and the head librarian - slash - temple steward, and mouth worked silently for a moment before she finally squeaked out a

"Oh… hullo, Nerissa. Guess you caught up with me after all."

Celes was a girl of ten, who stood a few inches shorter than her already-petite sister. Her curly bluish-violet hair, which stopped right past her earlobes, had been styled at _some_ point today, and was currently ornamented with a rather askew tiara. She wore an ornate dress that was near-identical to her elder sister's, save for its color - blue - and its state - thoroughly dirt-stained. A porcelain doll sat in her arms - that of a tan-skinned young woman with long, jet black hair, red eyes, and the russet-colored ears and tail of a fox. Said doll was dressed near-identically to Celes, although her own dress was in far better shape.

Nerissa made a soft noise of disapproval at her sister's appearance. Clearly, the interference of the gardeners had not been enough to keep Celes from ruining her outfit. Even if it wasn't as important for _her_ to keep face tonight, well… a princess was a princess was a princess. She didn't always like it either, but there were standards to maintain.

"Oh, Celes, your dress…"

Celes looked down at said dress, then back to Nerissa, then back again, before laughing sheepishly.

"It's fine, really! Look!"

With a wave of her hand, and the brief flash of glowing blue runes that signified Celes using magic, the dirt stains had faded from the front of her dress. Well, _mostly_ faded. You'd have to strain your eyes to see them, mind, and that was clearly good enough for Celes.

Nerissa sighed on exasperation. "I don't think Altair would be happy with you using their lessons like that."

Celes waved this off nonchalantly before dashing towards Nerissa, shifting her doll to one arm, and giving her older sister a somewhat awkward one-armed hug. "Happy fourteenth, Nerissa! How's it feel, being nearly an adult?"

"I… don't feel any different? A bit anxious, but that's to be expected." A lie, but nobody had to know. "I was more worried about finding you. Don't you and Vulpecula want to be prepared for this evening?"

Celes parted from her awkward hug with her sister and adjusted Vulpecula in her arms once more. "I won't look too babyish if I take her with me, right?"

Amber finally broke her self-imposed silence and approached Celes. "I apologize for speaking out of turn, Lady Celes, but why have you been going off on your own for the past few days? And why are you here? This… isn't a playground for… children…"

Even as she spoke, the bodyguard's words were dying in her throat. The withering glance Celes was giving Amber as she spoke had everything to do with that.

"It's a secret." Celes replied sharply, Vulpecula nodding in time to her words as she spoke. "I can't tell anyone. Especially not _you_. My servants are not allowed to demand anything out of me, _Amber._ That's a royal decree."

On 'royal decree', Celes crossed her arms across her chest, staring icily up at Amber, who shrunk backwards. In doing so, she let go of Vulpecula… who remained suspended in the air, floating right at shoulder level with the young girl.

 _Now_ it was Nerissa's cue to get upset with her younger sister. " _Celes_! There is no need to be so rude to-"

Celes raised her hands defensively. Vulpecula did the same. "Nerissa, I… I'll tell you later, I promise! But not now, alright?"

Her sister was dodging the matter of apologizing to Amber, and Nerissa didn't appreciate it in the slightest. Before she could say anything, she noticed Amber out of the corner of her eye. The taller girl might have looked mildly shaken at best to a casual observer, but Nerissa knew far better.

Thus, she left things with Celes at "Please do." before moving to Amber's side, gingerly holding onto the bodyguard's arm and leaning up to whisper something in her ear. Amber… didn't appear to register it, but Nerissa remained by her side regardless.

Now was Sirius' turn to badger Celes. "So… Lady Celes, can you at least tell _me_ why you were here? As steward of the Temple of the Stars, I am owed that, you know."

"I just like it here." Celes batted away a wisp of magic with her finger as she spoke. She sounded slightly defensive but far less snappish than she had been with Amber. "It's relaxing. Better than being dragged around to magic lessons or having to sit in at a meeting or being told off for picking flowers."

"Heh… I can certainly give you that one, Lady Celes." Sirius said followed Celes' gaze to the music box and the statues that surrounded it. "It is a beautiful place - and the seat of the Celestial Orgel, the very source of the Rainbow Melody that protects Illuster from harm."

"And the shrine built to honor the legendary warriors Pretty Cure, right?" Celes had heard this story a million times. Sirius had told it a million times. Neither party was sick of it yet.

"That's right. The four brave women who borrowed the powers of Celestial Beasts like myself to save us from a great calamity some… three-thousand years ago, yes, yes. The Blossom Knight, the Soaring Knight, the Tempest Knight, and the Lunar Knight. Were it not for their efforts, the Rainbow Melody would have never been created, and the Roaring Sparks of every living being, would be lost."

"Imagine that…" Celes gazed intently at the Celestial Orgel. "No more willpower, no more dreams, no more emotion… it'd be the same as dying, wouldn't it? Maybe even worse."

Even as she tried her best to console the quietly miserable Amber, Nerissa was listening to Celes and Sirius' exchange. And the minute Celes brought that point back up, the images from her dream came rushing back.

No life, no light in their eyes, no motion, no soul, that was it, that was what it would look like were everyone to be without their Roaring Spark, that was it-

The anxiety from this morning came rushing back to Nerissa. This time, it came with a side of lightheadedness and spots at the corners of her vision as the scenes from her nightmare played and replayed in her head, refusing to go away. And then she felt herself swoon-

-and that had Amber immediately jolting of her funk, snapping to attention, and moving to stabilize Nerissa.

"Lady Nerissa?" Amber whispered, her voice thick with concern.

"It's nothing, don't worry." Nerissa whispered back. "Didn't sleep well last night. Birthday jitters. Think it's catching up with me."

Not a lie, but it wasn't entirely the truth either. And the more she tried to suppress what was truly bothering her the most, the worse her head hurt.

Celes and Sirius had immediately abandoned their exchange the minute they heard Amber speak, both looking genuinely alarmed at Nerissa's state.

"Lady Nerissa? Do you need some fresh air?"

"Nerissa? Everything okay?"

Nerissa was fighting a losing battle with the specter of her nightmare - she was trying to hold out, but the spots in her vision were multiplying rapidly, making it nigh-impossible to focus on anything.

"I'm alright, really, I…"

Before Nerissa could say anything more, her knees buckled. Amber caught her in her arms before she could hit the floor. Worry was written all over her face as she stared down at Nerissa.

"Should we return to the Citadel, Lady Nerissa?"

Nerissa's first instinct, as it often was, was to lie, but she quickly concluded it wasn't worth it. She was too obviously ill.

"...I think we should, yes." She stared up at the ceiling, futilely trying to make her eyes focus. "Sorry, Celes, but we need to return."

"Oh, alright. I _guess_ I can humor Altair a bit more." Celes sighed. "Hope you get some rest, Nerissa."

Nerissa made a soft noise of assent in return. Amber picked her up and bridal carried her down the temple's immense set of stairs without a word, Sirius following behind her, and Celes bringing up the rear.

Perhaps if the three had looked behind them, they would have seen the solemn glance Celes shot back towards the Temple of the Stars and the soft 'see you soon' she mouthed in the direction of some unseen stranger. But alas, this was not to be.

* * *

The day passed by, the sun began to sink below the horizon, and the shadows around Illuster lengthened. Around town, a great many people were preparing for the grand gala that would be Princess Nerissa's fourteenth birthday. Within the castle, the staff were busying themselves like bees in a hive, preparing for the same. And as for the princess herself…

...Nerissa had spent a good chunk of the next few hours day lying in bed, trying to recover from her earlier spell in the Temple of the Stars. She had been up and around a handful of times - sometimes to stretch her legs, at one point to eat the lunch Amber brought in for her, but for the most part, she laid down, the world flowing on past her as the nightmarish maelstrom in her mind swirled uneasily about, trying to drag her body down with it.

Amber was standing outside her door now, just as she had been for several hours now. Nerissa could hear her warning off those who came to ask the princess for one thing or another when she wasn't acting in Nerissa's stead and passing on information about her princess to them. It was all quite accurate, of course. Amber knew Nerissa just as well as Nerissa knew Amber.

Amber's presence was comforting. It always was. But at the moment, it failed to provide sufficient solace in the face of the echoes left by her nightmare.

 _It was only a dream,_ Nerissa told herself over and over. _It was only a dream_. _Nothing can happen to the Rainbow Melody. Only royalty can touch the Orgel to begin with. Celes wouldn't hurt us. Mother wouldn't hurt us. Nothing can hurt us here. It will be alright. It will be alright._

But why couldn't she make herself believe that?

There came a point when Nerissa could no longer hear Amber outside her bed chamber. That was her cue to leave her bedchamber, lingering malaise or none. She was worried about Amber... and due to make her formal debut as the star of the evening very soon. It was high time she took care of what she needed to before this evening's events.

Celes was waiting for her outside, Vulpecula floating besides her. "I already sent Amber on her way." she explained matter-of-factly. "She and the other members of the royal guard have their own preparations to make."

"I see…"

Nerissa felt a bit uncomfortable at this. She knew she shouldn't have been. She had a duty to be fully prepared for the celebrations tonight, and Amber had a duty to act as a part of security detail. And that was how it would always be, she firmly reminded herself as she started off in the opposite direction from Celes.

"Nerissa? Shouldn't we be headed towards the ballroom?"

"I'll catch up with you later." Nerissa's voice sounded odd and distant to her own ears. "I wish to talk with Mother first. In private, if that's alright."

"Who am I to stop my big sister?" Celes started off before pausing in her tracks, turning, and waving. Vulpecula did the same simultaneously. "Bye-bye!"

"Bye-bye…" Nerissa returned the gesture, unable to force the same amount of enthusiasm Celes had managed, before making her way towards the audience chamber of the Queen of Illuster.

* * *

Even if she was another year older today, Nerissa still felt like a small and inadequate child in the presence of her mother, Queen Lucinda of Illuster. And why not? The position of Queen of Illuster was quite a lofty one, and Illuster's citizenry worshipped the ground Queen Lucinda walked on. As elder daughter, Nerissa was set to slip into Lucinda's shoes someday, and while she would never admit it, the prospect was nerve-wracking. Becoming a queen, let alone a woman on Lucinda's level, seemed so far beyond Nerissa.

Queen Lucinda was a woman of great beauty, with platinum blond hair that shined like starlight and deep blue eyes that seemed to contain galaxies, and a woman of great majesty, whose very presence radiated power despite her petite stature. At present, she sat on her high, gilded throne in the vast and orante audience chamber of the Celestial Citadel. Nerissa offered her mother a low curtsy once she was ushered inside.

"Good evening, Mother."

"Good evening, Nerissa." Queen Lucinda's tone was gentle and warm. "I understand you nearly fainted in the Temple of the Stars earlier."

Nerissa's first reaction was a defensive one. "I apologize sincerely, Mother. I had no intention of-"

"Nerissa, it's alright." Lucinda said gently. "Celes, Amber, and Sirius were all incredibly concerned for your welfare when they spoke of this incident. Are you feeling well? I wouldn't dare force my own daughter to exert herself when she's feeling ill, regardless of the occasion."

"I have recovered, Mother." Nerissa said. "Physically, I am feeling well, but on an emotional level..." She trailed off, biting her lip. Was it worth troubling Lucinda over this?

"Nerissa?"

Nerissa released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "I apologize for troubling you. But..." Her voice caught. She took a moment to calm herself before continuing. "I have been experiencing a recurrent nightmare. Between its vividness and consistency, I fear it may be some sort of portent."

Nerissa scanned her mother's face for some hint of skepticism. She could find none. So, she continued, pausing a few times to swallow pack the tears that were threatening to well up as she recounted her recurring nightmare in detail. Lucinda said nothing for a few moments afterward, leaving Nerissa with nothing but the sound of her heart thumping in her chest. But finally, she spoke.

"The mass suppression of the Roaring Sparks of everyone in this kingdom... such matters have not been a real concern for three thousand years."

"I know should not be fretting over something so _stupid,_ Mother. Intellectually, I understand it's an utterly foolish thing to-"

Lucinda cut her off right there. "I do not think it foolish, Nerissa. As Queen of Illuster, I am not a woman given to jump at mere portents, but as a mother, I must take anything that troubles my daughters seriously. Might it ease your mind slightly if I stepped up security a bit this evening?"

"It would, yes." A symbolic gesture, to be certain, but anything that would help her retain her composure tonight. "Thank you, mother." Nerissa moved to leave, only to pause and add "Before I depart, might I request one last thing?"

"Name it, and it is yours."

"May I have a hug?"

Immediately Lucinda rose from her throne and approached Nerissa, gently pulling her daughter into her embrace. The two remained like that for a few moments before Lucinda gently broke away from the hug, a look of pride shining in her eyes as she regarded Nerissa.

"You really are growing up into a fine young woman, Nerissa. One day, you will become a queen this kingdom can be proud of. Of that, I am quite certain."

And now holding back tears was quite beyond Nerissa. They went cascading down her face in waves. "Thank you, mother. I swear I will make you proud tonight!" It took a few more moments of sobbing before Nerissa finally pulled herself together. "Oh dear… my face is probably a mess now. I apologize sincerely for-"

Lucinda laid a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder. "You're alright. There is still plenty of time for you to get cleaned up before the gala."

Nerissa nodded tearfully before she prepared to exit the audience chamber.

"Farewell, Nerissa."

"Farewell, Mother." Nerissa paused in the doorway a moment before adding "And again, thank you. You don't know how much this means to me."

Had she known this might have been one of the last times she'd speak with her mother, perhaps Nerissa would have lingered a bit longer. But hindsight was an inconvenient mistress, and thus, the princess shot her mother one last smile and went off on her way, trying her best to be tentatively hopeful despite the lingering malaise that plagued her.

* * *

Amber spent the last few moments before Nerissa's birthday gala practicing sword drills in the guards' barracks, long after the other guards had filtered out. Not only was engaging in such exercises for the sake of keeping her skills sharp of the utmost necessity, given her position, she found it relaxing. Meditative almost.

The girl moved like a well-oiled machine as she went through drill after drill. Don't focus on Nerissa's fainting spell and how you didn't notice how she was ill before, focus on keeping your swings accurate. Don't focus on those moments of awkwardness with Nerissa, focus on keeping your form the best it can be. Don't focus on how much Celes despises an insubordinate lout like yourself, focus on never, ever leaving an opening for your opposition.

This didn't make the worries at the back of her mind go away. It was unlikely anything would, because Amber's natural state of mind was an anxious one, but it certainly helped. _Good_. This was what she was best at in the end, anyway. This was all someone like her would ever be good at.

Someone was calling her name, but Amber failed to properly register it, so caught up was she in her swordplay - until she suddenly found her practice swing being blocked with the flat out the other party's blade, abruptly jolting her out of her reverie.

"Amber, you are to answer me when I speak to you."

Amber forced herself to stare up at the interloper. "I apologize, Mother."

Alexandria Lowe, Captain of the Royal Guard and mother to Amber Lowe, returned her daughter's level stare with a cold one of her own. She was an intimidating woman, standing a few inches taller than her already tall daughter and sporting a jagged scar across the side of her face. Her long, dirty blonde hair was done up into a high ponytail, and although her build was mostly concealed underneath her uniform, Amber knew for a fact that the woman was solid muscle.

"Still sloppy, I see. You'll never be able to protect them with such poor form, Amber."

"Understood, Mother. I clearly need more training." Amber wanted to look down at the floor but forced herself to maintain eye contact with Alexandria. Doing otherwise was not permitted.

"Not tonight, you don't. Her Majesty has informed me that she wishes to increase security within the castle. Princess Nerissa's orders." Alexandria hummed wryly, sheathing her sword all the while. "I personally doubt either princess is in any sort of immediate danger, not _here,_ but I'd advise you to treat it as an emergency anyway. It'll be good practice for you. Not every kingdom out there is as… _hospitable_ as our own."

Amber didn't bother asking what Alexandria meant. She had no reason to. Her mother's collection of scars, most of them concealed beneath her uniform, was vast, far more impressive than the comparatively minor injuries she'd amassed through training.

Instead, she kept her gaze and tone level as she responded with "I will devote every fiber of my being to this task. My life is nothing compared to the life of those two."

Alexandria smiled. It was less the smile of a loving mother and more the smile of a trainer who had finally bent a hound to her will. "Good girl."

And she was off. Amber drew in a shaky breath, sheathed her own sword, and followed her. Even if there had not been a real threat within the Celestial Citadel for thousands of years, she would still throw herself into this wholeheartedly, namely for Nerissa's sake. Her protection was the only thing she could give the princess these days.

* * *

It was to be a marvelous evening!

The evening sky, already a lovely canvas of violets and lavenders and blues, was decorated with colorful bursts of fireworks launched into the air in celebration of Princess Nerissa's birthday. The long and winding path towards the Celestial Citadel was lit by numerous shimmering pink and blue orbs, and the Citadel itself was decorated with shimmering tinsel made of light and a variety of glimmering wisps. Every window of the Citadel shone with light and the sound of the ballroom's orchestra carried clearly in the air as a small parade of citizenry journeyed towards it.

Most every person in the crowd was abuzz with excitement… save four individuals moving among their number. Said individuals were wraithlike in their presence, their forms hidden by flowing black cloaks as they glided along silently towards their destination, unnoticed by their fellows.

Only when the four approached the front gate of the Celestial Citadel, where a retinue (larger than usual, per Nerissa's orders) of royal guards stood, individually checking the identities of everyone passing through the castle, did someone appear to register their presence. One of the guards immediately moved to address the quartet.

"Pardon, might I see some identification?"

The tallest of the cloaked figures nodded, but they did not produce anything. The guard caught a pair of vermillion eyes gazing at her from beneath the figure's hood and briefly flashing violet. The guard felt the sensation of talons sinking into her brain for a moment… and then the four were gone, and she was back to checking identification with her fellows, as if nothing had ever happened.

By the time any of the guards realized what had just taken place, it would be far too late.

* * *

The vast and spacious gilded ballroom of the Celestial Citadel was, of course, nothing short of resplendent on the evening of Princess Nerissa's birthday gala.

The room was illuminated by both electrical lighting and many glowing orbs of pure mana, which danced high above the heads of those in attendance like a herd of captive stars. Shimmering blue and pink mana butterflies flitted about the room, sometimes settling on a guest's head for a moment before they flitted off once again, and the beautiful tapestries of pink and violet decorated the walls, were enchanted with magic of a similar nature, making the star chart-esque insignias glow radiantly. A collection of gorgeous floral displays - featuring Nerissa's favorites, camellias, pink carnations, and violet roses - decorated every table and most every corner of the room.

And of course, there was a veritable banquet laid out upon the tables - the Citadel's chefs had truly outdone themselves making all of Nerissa's favorite dishes exactly the way the princess liked them, and many of their creations seemed almost too beautiful to consider eating. The orchestra employed for the event played beautifully as numerous Illustrian citizens, some of them commoners, some of them nobility, some human and some Celestial Beast, milled about, making sure to enjoy themselves to the fullest.

Nerissa had very little time to herself this evening. If she wasn't greeting those in attendance at the gala, she was graciously accepting gifts from one guest or another, or accepting offers of a dance from said guests once another one started up, or being pulled into a discussion with nobles. If she wasn't doing those things, she was making sure the guests were contented. Not that she minded at all. Keeping herself as busy as humanly possible kept her mind off the looming specter of her nightmare.

Still, Nerissa mused, taking advantage of a lull in her obligations to park herself by one of the tables and pour herself a glass of punch, even if she appreciated being kept busy, it was nice to be able to breathe for a moment or two. Princess or not, she could only take so much of this at a time.

She wasn't alone at this table - Sirius was nearby, currently regaling Altair, a petite individual with vulturine features, with a string of excited rambling. They held an pastry in one hand and a shortcake in the other and alternately took a bite out of each treat as they spoke, their tail excitedly swishing back and forth all the while.

"So! Funny thing that- our databases - I've told you about those terrible, terrible database errors we've been having, right, right? The ones concerning the- ah, hello, hello, Lady Nerissa!" Here, Sirius offered an enthusiastic wave… or at least an attempt at one, given the pastry in their hand. Nerissa returned it with a small one of her one. "-those strange chunks of null information? Anyway - my, these are to die for! - Procyon said she-"

Altair huffily turned their gaze away from Sirius, the feathers on their wings visibly ruffled. "At least finish swallowing your food before you start rambling."

Nerissa barely suppressed a giggle behind one silk-gloved hand. Typical Sirius - even if their position among the Citadel staff was quite lofty, they themselves had never been particularly great at formality beyond a certain level.

"Having fun, Nerissa?"

Nerissa tore her gaze from Sirius and Altair to find Celes with Vulpecula floating on one side of her and a plate of cookies floating on the other.

"Of course! This has been a wonderful birthday thus far." Not entirely genuine, but it sounded far less forced than it would have earlier, which spoke volumes about how much better Nerissa was feeling… or at least how distracted she was at present. "Your work on the decorations tonight is excellent, Celes. Aren't you glad you finished off those preparations with Altair?"

Celes looked aside. "I guess so…" She sounded as if something was bothering her. It concerned Nerissa, but she knew forcing the issue was not going to work. "I'm a good mage without them. I could have done all of this on my own."

"You always have been the superior mage between the two of us." Nerissa said. "But you know, raw talent on its own isn't everything. Mother is powerful enough to manipulate even the Celestial Orgel, but she only got there through dedication and strength of heart."

Celes fell uncomfortably silent for a few moments before distracting herself with a cookie. Finally, she replied with "If you say so, Nerissa. See you later!"

Before Nerissa could say anything else, Celes, who was quite nearly as light on her feet in an ornate gown as she was, had vanished into the crowd, leaving the elder princess to her own devices. Staying and eavesdropping on Sirius' conversation was tempting, but she had other things she would rather be doing at present - namely, trying to figure out where Amber was.

Captain Alexandria, was certainly present, standing rigidly at attention next to Queen Lucinda, who was standing towards the front of the ballroom, consulting with several fellow nobles. And there was certainly no shortage of guards in the area - a pair each guarded the four entrances to the ballroom and Nerissa knew there was a second, larger than usual retinue stationed in front of the castle. But try as she might, she couldn't figure out where Amber was. Even as she edged around the ballroom, glass of punch in hand, she still could not place her in the crowd.

"Lady Nerissa?"

Nerissa jumped a bit, maintaining an iron grip on her glass all the while, before wheeling around to face Amber. The taller girl had piled a large amount of grilled pheasant onto a plate and was neatly eating it with rapid speed… but not without blowing on each piece several times first.

"Oh, good evening, Amber." Nerissa said. "I was just looking for you."

"Ah… really?" Amber said, between bites of pheasant. She was doing a bad job at sounding detached. "Mother had me patrolling the halls earlier. They just switched me to the ballroom, but Ivy told me she could cover things on her own for a bit. Said a 'growing kid' needed a bite to eat." She cast a nervous glance in her mother's direction, but if Alexandria had noticed her daughter's presence in the room, she gave no indication. "I'll go back to work shortly, but-"

Nerissa cut her off there. "Amber, you're alright. I'm sure Captain Alex would understand. What mother wouldn't want her daughter to relax and enjoy herself?"

Amber said nothing to that, instead preoccupying herself with the pheasant. Although Nerissa picked up on her discomfort, she missed the source of it, as evidenced by her failure to press the issue further.

"Anyway," Nerissa continued "The pheasant is excellent, isn't it? I remember you mentioning it was one of your favorites, so I brought that up to the chefs earlier today."

Amber flushed deep red. "Lady Nerissa, you didn't have to-"

"But I wanted to, Amber. And I am glad you're here to enjoy it."

Amber stiffly coughed into her free hand. "It is delicious, yes. Maybe a bit warm, but…" Well, alright, it was probably perfectly tolerable to most people, but not to someone with a tongue as temperature-sensitive as hers. "Anyway, Lady Nerissa, are you certain you're feeling better? That's been worrying me more than my own silly concerns."

"I'm feeling much better, yes." A sip of punch, then "Maybe I'm a little worn out, but it is nothing I cannot sleep off later. A princess must have plenty of stamina, after all."

Both girls enjoyed their drink and their meal in silence, before the sound of a waltz suddenly filled the air, and multiple guests moved to pair off. This had Nerissa, snapping to attention, keenly aware that she would be requested for another dance. But-

-instead, she offered her arm to Amber. "Might I have this dance? Just for old times' sake?"

Amber balked visibly. "Lady Nerissa, carrying you is one thing, but I…" She glanced nervously towards Alexandria, then towards Nerissa, then back again. "Please vouch for me if Mother says anything."

Nerissa blinked in surprise. "Vouch for you? To Captain Alex? Why-"

"Just promise me."

"I promise, Amber." Nerissa said with a solemn nod. "Now then, shall we?"

Amber nervously made her way onto the dance floor arm in arm with Nerissa. "Please bear with me, Lady Nerissa." she said quietly, as they took their places. "I haven't done anything like this since we were children."

"I'm sure you'll do fine." Nerissa said. She was drawing some odd looks, bringing a member of the royal guard onto the dance floor like this. She did not care a whit.

So, off the two went, Nerissa, trying her best to adapt her graceful moves to Amber's clumsy and halting ones. It was not a perfect combo - the two bumped into several other pairs several times, and Amber stepped on Nerissa's toes at least once, but Nerissa wasn't bothered at all. Being close to Amber like this was worth any potential indignity.

"Lady Nerissa, I'm sorry-"

Nerissa shook her head. "Amber, I'm having a marvelous time. Thank you for this. And for just for being there for me. You don't know how much I appreciate it."

Amber averted her gaze, nearly bumping into another couple in the process. "I'm just doing my job, Lady Nerissa. As long as I'm being useful to you, I'm happy." She noticed that the other girl's gaze kept flitting around the room, even as they danced. "Lady Nerissa?"

"That's odd…" Nerissa said quietly. "I don't see Celes anywhere. She usually loves these dances. I hope she hasn't-"

Before Nerissa could finish that sentence, several things happened at once.

First, multiple guards came rushing into the ballroom, all of them more than a bit frantic.

Then Alexandria's voice cut through the air, several magnitudes louder than the orchestra. " _What do you mean we've been compromised?!"_

The orchestra ground to a halt, cutting off the music in the air abruptly. Most everyone had turned their attentions to the now borderline apoplectic captain of Illuster's royal guard, who had furiously rounded on several of her fellows, all of whom were offering barely-coherent apologies in return.

Nerissa felt her heart freeze in her chest as 'We've been compromised' rang out again and again in her head, intermingled with visions of her nightmare. She was dimly aware of Amber parting from her and placing a hand on the sheath of her sword. And then-

-there was what sounded like an explosion from somewhere nearby, causing the floor of the ballroom to shake briefly, eliciting a cacophony of screaming from many guests in attendance, followed by a burst of light in the center of the ballroom.

It was hard for anyone to register what was at the center of that light for a moment, so intense was its glow. And then the intensity faded, revealing the Celestial Orgel hovering in the air. It remained suspended for several moments before falling to the ground and sliding towards Nerissa's feet. It popped open as it came to a stop,revealing that it was very much empty of its contents.

And then the Rainbow Melody stopped playing.

Imagine being suddenly thrust into darkness and cold after knowing nothing but sunshine and warmth for your entire life. That was what every single being in Illuster experienced at that moment. It left most far too shocked to do anything.

Nerissa was dimly aware of her picking up the now-empty Orgel and holding what had, until a moment ago, been the beating heart of her kingdom to her chest. Her mind was panicking, reminding her of her nightmare and screaming at her to _move_ , but she couldn't. She felt a million miles away from her own body at present.

There was a loud hissing sound from the very center of the ballroom, and a surge of malevolent-feeling mana pulsed through the floor, causing several guests to flinch away from the area. A circle of shining vivid gold runes surfaced on the floor in the center of the ballroom, followed by a burst of gold flame as the four cloaked figures materialized in the middle of said circle. Each whipped their cloaks off and flung them aside, revealing their true appearance to the attendees of the gala.

The figure at the forefront was a tall young woman with olive skin and vermillion eyes. Her multicolored hair - gold growing out into red-orange - was worn in a bob that bared her forehead, which sported a gold banded gemstone. She wore a dark gold high-necked cape which looked rather like folded dragon's wings, golden earrings and bangles, a sleeveless gold dress, black tights, and knee-length black boots.

The other three figures - two slender teenage girls, who shared the exact same height, build, and facial features, and a wiry and tall young man, who seemed to be in his early twenties and had a clear familial resemblance to the two girls - were quite striking on their own. All three were unnaturally pale and their eyes reflected very little light, making them appear a few degrees off from being fully human.

One of the girls had silvery-green hair that flared out at the base of her neck and sported bangs that covered one of her lightless gold eyes. She wore a navy tunic with dark green trim, a dark green belt with with a gold buckle, dark navy shorts, and dark green tights. A short dark green cape with a peacock feather design sat at her shoulders, and navy half-crescent earrings dangled from her ears. She wore shin-length navy boots, and the back of her right hand was inset with a peacock blue gemstone.

The other girl had silver eyes and long pale pink hair tied into low pigtails. She wore a gray tunic with dark violet trim, a dark violet belt with a silver buckle, dark gray shorts, and dark violet tights. A short violet mantle, which was trimmed with silver fur and tied at the front by a violet bow, sat at her shoulders, and gray half-crescent earrings dangled from her ears. She wore shin-length gray boots, and the back of her left hand was inset with a cloudy white gemstone.

The young man had bronze eyes and scruffy blue-gray hair pulled into a short ponytail. He wore a burnt orange tunic with burgundy trim, a burgundy belt with a bronze buckle and dark orange pants, which were tucked into shin-length burnt orange boots with burgundy trim. A flowing snakeskin print burgundy scarf, was tied around his neck, a burnt orange half-crescent earring dangled from his right ear, and the back of his right hand was inset with a scale patterned orange gemstone.

The ballroom was eerily silent in the wake of the strangers' arrival. Nerissa was numbly aware of someone gripping tightly onto her arm, confirmed by a quick side glance to be a visibly panicked Celes.

Nerissa was this kingdom's princess. She needed to act. She could not make herself act. It did not seem that anyone else present could either. None except...

"Do you realize what you have just done?"

...Queen Lucinda, who strode forwards through the frozen crowd. Her dark blue eyes seemed to hold maelstroms within them as she stared down the intruders. Her posture and tone of voice betrayed absolutely no fear. If anything, she seemed to be daring the four to dignify her with a response.

And respond the woman did, spitting fury as she rounded on Lucinda. " _You,_ of all people, have a lot of nerve taking that tone with me!"

Flames of shimmering gold leapt from the woman's extended hand towards Lucinda. At that moment, Alexandria and three other members of the royal guard broke from their collective stupor and leapt to action. Alexandria drove an elbow into the woman's side, causing her flames to misfire and incinerate a floral display near Lucinda, while her three compatriots were physically restrained by the three other guards.

"I don't care who you are, what business you have here, or what sick thought process guided the atrocity you just committed." Alexandria hissed sharply, gripping the woman roughly by the arm with one hand as her other hand prepared to unsheathe her sword. "I will not permit anyone to so much as speak to our Queen in such an insolent manner. Now, explain your actions at once, or so help me, I will _make_ you explain."

The woman said nothing in response to Alexandria's words, only biting her lip in defiance as the gem on her forehead glinted, and her eyes flashed violet. Her compatriots, who made no efforts to struggle against their captors, said nothing either, simply staring stonily ahead at their leader.

And then the guard who had been restraining the green-haired girl staggered back, giving a sharp cry as they grabbed at their chest. Their two fellows did the same moments later, allowing all three interlopers to effortlessly escape from their captivity.

"Sorry, but I don't take orders from lifeless beings." the woman replied dryly.

Alexandria's eyes suddenly widened in pain, causing her grip on her captive to falter enough for the latter to wrest herself from it.

Amber started forwards, eyes wide with terror. "Mother!"

Lucinda had rushed to Alexandria's side. Alexandria hardly seemed to notice, instead glaring daggers at her daughter. "Why are you just standing there, Amber? _Do something_!"

Her mother's harsh words were enough to get Amber to try to unsheathe her sword, but she couldn't get any further than that. Her legs were trembling too badly to obey her, and her hands were refusing to cooperate.

Something was ripped right out of the chests of those affected - a crystal, which was shaped like a multi-pointed star and glimmered beautifully with all the colors of the rainbow… before it rapidly turned pitch black and sank back into the chests of its hosts.

Alexandria suddenly shoved Lucinda to the side, seconds before violet energy enveloped her form and the forms of the affected guards. Said energy quickly dissipated, revealing inky, amorphous blobs with empty gold eyes that bore no resemblance to the humans they had been only moments ago.

The newly-formed blobs of darkness lurched towards the other guests. Each one they managed to touch collapsed to their knees and cried out in pain before they too suffered the same transformation as Alexandria and her fellows.

Every guest present scattered in panic. The queen, her daughters, and said daughters' personal bodyguard were battered about as their countrymen fled towards the ballroom's exits, desperately trying to escape. It was to little avail. With this many people in this blind of a frenzy, navigation was difficult, making it all too easy for one of the blobs or the woman to infect those trying to flee. And once one person in the tightly-packed crowd was affected, those around them fell like dominoes.

Sirius watched these happenings with horror, their ears pressed flat against their head as they drew backwards… and unknowingly towards another one of the blobs. "Oh my, my… could this be-?"

Before they could say anything more, they were shoved forwards, towards Nerissa and Celes. They turned around to see Altair, who mouthed "Get them out of here! Go!" before they too succumbed to the plague that was now spreading around the Citadel ballroom.

"Happiness fades. Dreams can be crushed. Willpower can be daunted." the woman said. "Ultimately, such things are better off discarded entirely. That is why I, Sardonyx, have chosen to relieve you of your Roaring Sparks. A fitting gift, wouldn't you say, Lucinda? Almost uncalled for, given what you've done to me and my kingdom."

Nerissa handed the Orgel off to Celes, before she strode towards Sardonyx and took her place besides her mother, her hands blazing with pink light.

"What do you mean by that?" She was trying to sound as coolly defiant as her mother had and not quite making it. "We've done absolutely nothing!"

Sardonyx looked more amused by Nerissa's attempt at defiance than anything else. "That's right. That is exactly what your lot did when we were at our lowest. _Absolutely nothing_."

Suddenly, the green-haired girl, who had been impassively watching the unfolding chaos with her fellows, spoke up.

"Lady Sardonyx, that child has the Orgel."

Sardonyx stared past Nerissa and Lucinda and smiled as her eyes alighted on Celes, who was paralyzed with fear. "So she does. I'll be taking that, then. Along with your Roaring Sparks, of course."

Nerissa could barely make herself move, even as the gem on Sardonyx's forehead glinted and she moved her hand towards the group. The elder princess reflexively closed her eyes, bracing for the inevitable as she cursed herself internally for not being able to do anything in the end.

But nothing happened.

When Nerissa opened her eyes, she found Queen Lucinda standing directly in front of everyone and extending her hands, which glowed with radiant light, outwards. Her mother had created a shimmering white barrier around the group, protecting everyone from Sardonyx, her underlings, and the inky blobs infesting the ballroom. Judging by the look of exertion on Lucinda's face, she would not be able to maintain this barrier for very long.

Nerissa stared uncomprehendingly at the sight. "Mother?"

Celes finally found her voice in turn, if barely above a whisper. "Mother… what are you…"

Lucinda did not look towards either of her daughters, instead keeping her gaze fixed on Sardonyx, who was staring at the group in bafflement, even as the fruits of the plague she had unleashed began slithering out of the ballroom.

"I'm so sorry, Nerissa, Celes." Lucinda said quietly. "I am about to place a terrible burden on your shoulders. Yours as well, Amber, Sirius. All of you deserve far better than to be saddled with this duty. I wish it did not have to come to this."

Sirius, still stunned from Altair's sacrifice, spoke up, their tone uncharacteristically hesitant. "Queen Lucinda, do you mean-?"

Lucinda nodded solemnly, her focus still trained on Sardonyx all the while. "Listen, you four - this is not goodbye. Even if Illuster falls tonight, this is not the end. The legendary warriors Pretty Cure wove the Rainbow Melody from the light in others' hearts once, and they will do it again. When that happens, Illuster will be restored to its former glory. And although this means sending you far away and maybe even placing you in more danger, it is the only option I have."

"Mother, why would you say something so defeatist?" Nerissa demanded tearfully. "We can stay here and fight with you! We can find another way to restore the Rainbow Melody! I will give you all my power, if that is what it takes! I owe this kingdom that! I cannot run away! I do not deserve to-"

Lucinda turned to meet her elder daughter's eyes, revealing that her own were welling up with tears. "Please fight bravely, no matter what dangers your journey presents you with. Please never give up hope, no matter what happens. And know that I will always be with you in spirit."

Before Nerissa could protest further, there was a blinding flash of light, and she, Celes, Amber, and Sirius had vanished from the room. Moments later, Lucinda's barrier dissipated in a shower of sparkling light. She collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, a tearful smile on her face, even as the inky black forms that had once been her subjects advanced on her from all sides.

Sardonyx, now visibly drained but triumphant, stood back and impassively watched Lucinda meet her fate. Finally, she moved to address her similarly impassive underlings.

"Agate. Tourmaline. Selenite. Find those four and deal with them accordingly. They have what is rightfully mine."

The young man - Agate - offered Sardonyx a short bow, followed shortly by the twins - Tourmaline and Selenite - before the three vanished from the ballroom.

"It's better this way." Sardonyx muttered to herself as she beheld the sea of black spreading out in front of her and slowly flowing out of the ballroom. "They're all much better off this way."

She didn't sound entirely convinced of it herself.

* * *

The next thing Nerissa knew, she was sprawled on the floor of one of the castle corridors in an undignified heap, her dress and hairstyle an unkempt mess. For a moment, she could almost completely forget what had happened, and then she realized how dead and empty the air around her was, and everything came rushing back into focus.

"Mother… Captain Alex… Altair… everyone is…"

Nerissa was tearing up again, making it difficult for her to see the hand offered to her as anything but an indistinct blur. Nevertheless, she accepted that hand with a slightly trembling one of her own, allowing Amber to pull her to her feet.

"Lady Nerissa, I…" Amber drew her gaze away from her. "No. I apologize. I don't have a right to look at you. Not after what I did."

Celes, who was huddled nearby and holding Vulpecula close, the Orgel beside her, said nothing. She seemed to be in a state of shock.

Sirius' ears perked up as the sound of distant footsteps carried towards them. "Erm, everyone, I'm very, very sorry to do this, but we're not quite out of the woods."

The very second Sirius finished speaking, an arrow of blue energy went whooshing towards them. It was only narrowly deflected by Amber's quickly-unsheathed blade. The act drew a dismissive "tch!' from Tourmaline, who stood at the end of the corridor, aiming a blue and black crossbow directly at the group.

"Just surrender already. You four are only staving off the inevitable."

As she spoke, Agate and Selenite appeared at the other end of the corridor. The former wielded an orange and black whip, the latter wielded a large gray and black mallet. Worse, there were a herd of the black blobs that had once been Illuster citizens slithering behind them.

Nerissa swallowed back her tears, staring Tourmaline in the eyes with a look of defiance, even as she and her siblings advanced on them. "If we surrender, Mother's sacrifice would have been in vain! For her sake… for everyone's sake - I will not give up!" She turned to Sirius. "Siri! Are you ready?"

Sirius nodded. "Of course, of course! Not used to this many people, but… I'll manage!"

There was a brief flash of light, and where there had once been a humanoid figure, there was now an immense white dog with a silver ribbon around their neck and strap with an ornate gold case slung over their shoulder. Sirius' change gave the three siblings visible pause - just enough for Nerissa to get onto their back, followed by Amber, who quickly sheathed her sword and picked up the Orgel, holding it tightly to her chest with one hand, followed by a noticeably dazed Celes.

"Please hold on tight, everyone!" Sirius said, moments before charging at full speed towards Selenite and Agate. The former let out a small squeak of surprise as the dog bowled her over, easily clearing the sea of black at her heels with a long leap, the latter just looked a bit stunned at being knocked onto his back.

Selenite unsteadily pulled herself to her feet and picked her mallet up. "Oh no… that's not good at all." Her wispy expression and detached-sounding tone of voice were more fitting of a girl who had dropped her ice cream on the pavement than they were a girl who had lost four people she was supposed to personally deal with.

Agate patted her on the shoulder. "Hey now, it's alright, Selenite. If we don't get them, all those Utsuroids that Lady Sardonyx created will, right?" He froze up, painfully aware that Tourmaline was standing behind him and fixing him with a death glare. "But… I guess it'd be bad form for this guy to make 'em do all the work. Let's go."

* * *

Illuster was dying.

Every last inch of the kingdom was rapidly set upon and overcome by Utsuroids. Not a single sapient being in Illuster, be they human or Celestial Beast, was able to get away before they were set upon by their transformed kinsmen and converted into still more Utsuroids.

The animals that populated the kingdom were thrown into an utter panic, birds crying out in distress, horses in now-unmanned stables rearing up in fear, and dogs and cats futilely calling out to masters that were no longer themselves.

Every drop of color and every bit of life was draining away from Illuster. The sky above was gradually fading from blue to gray, everything in the area, living and non-living, was slowly being sapped of its vibrance, and the air was growing colder and stiller by the moment.

Moment by moment, the portent that was Nerissa's dream was coming true. The nightmare that had troubled the princess for so long was becoming real.

* * *

Sirius was blazingly fast, even with three people on their back. Nerissa was forced to grip onto their thick fur tightly enough that her knuckles turned white, lest she end up falling off. It was a wonder, she mused, that Amber could manage the same one-handed, even in light of her superior strength.

Sirius did not show any signs of faltering as they ran, dodging more Utsuroids along the way, keeping themselves and their precious cargo just out of reach of the arrows firing towards them and the three figures rushing in their direction. Hopefully, they'd be able to keep this up all the way until they reached their destination.

"Where to, Siri?" Nerissa asked breathlessly as Sirius made a hairpin turn around a corner - eliciting a cry of frustration from an unseen Tourmaline as one of her arrows connected with a wall - and down one of the Celestial Citadel's many spiral staircases, this one reaching far below the castle.

"Portal. Castle basement. Nearly there." Sirius was in no state to be their usual chatty self, so focused were they on their goal as they charged down the rather dimly-lit spiral staircase, taking several of them at a time and missing still more looming Utsuroids as they traveled further and further down the stairwell's length.

Amber had remained silent, but Nerissa could feel her presence behind her as Sirius made their charge, the loud cracking of a mallet missing them and connecting with stone, echoing in the distance, and towards what was sure to take the group to whatever faraway world Lucinda had been speaking of before she'd sent them away.

And as for Celes…

...Celes' grip on Sirius was slowly slipping.

Everyone else was too focused on their end goal to notice. And Celes said nothing, simply staring ahead with dead eyes as her grip on Sirius' fur grew looser and looser until-

-she was thrown off Sirius' back, giving a piercing scream as she flew into the air. Nerissa and Amber immediately snapped to attention, but it was too late. Before either could do a thing, a pair of Utsuroids rose upwards and dragged her backwards into the darkness with lightning speed. Even the three siblings seemed caught off guard by this.

Nerissa wasted no time in trying to leap off Sirius' back, only for Amber to restrain her with her free hand.

"Amber… Amber please don't…Celes!" Nerissa cried as she struggled to free herself. "I need to go back for Celes!"

"Lady Nerissa, we can't do anything for Lady Celes." Amber said solemnly. "Not anymore…"

Nerissa continued to struggle, even as Sirius charged onwards. "I can't just leave my sister! Please, Amber-!'

"Lady Nerissa, please calm down!" Amber sounded as apologetic as she did frantic. "Didn't you just say you wanted Queen Lucinda's sacrifice to mean something?"

That was enough to make Nerissa cease her struggles. As Amber ceased restraining her and re-steadied herself on Sirius, the librarian charged towards the heavy wooden doors that led to the castle basement.

The doors flew right open for the group… and slammed in the three siblings' faces. Sirius, who was panting heavily as they slid to a stop, sighed in relief. And then the doors began to buckle inward under what sounded like the repeated strikes of a mallet. Sirius bolted forwards, even as the sound of fists being driven into the door with unusual force mingled with the sounds of the mallet's strikes.

The castle basement was dimly lit by electric lighting much like its stairwell, supported by myriad thick columns, and comprised mostly of gray brick and mortar. The area was populated upon rows of dusty casks, barrels, shelves upon shelves of preserved goods, and myriad outdated pieces of machinery. There was an elaborate circle of runes carved on the middle of the floor, which was the size of a small pond and was surrounded by a circle of light gray columns.

Sirius stepped towards the circle and muttered a series of incantations under their breath. The runes began glowing, and mana began rising upwards from the floor.

The noise on the other side of the basement doors was growing increasingly louder and was punctuated by flashing lights - blue, silver, and dark orange visible through the cracks of the doors, followed by a sharp and disdainful "Fools! You can't run forever!"

The circle on the floor was beginning to shift and change, its center rippling like water as more and more mana rose upwards around it.

The basement doors were beginning to buckle inwards. "Almost there, Tourmaline!" followed by "Heh, nice! Put your back into it, Selenite!"

The runes on the floor had faded away completely, replaced with a pool of what could readily be mistaken for unusually clear water… save for the strong magical energy pulsing from it and the numerous colors dancing on its surface. Sirius drew back, readying themselves for one last leap.

"You ready, Lady Nerissa, Amber?"

"I am." Nerissa replied. She sounded badly shaken but still resolute. Amber simply made a soft noise of assent.

The basement doors burst open in a shower of splinters, and Agate, Tourmaline, and Selenite bolted inside... just in time to see their quarry leap into the portal they had opened. The three immediately followed suit.

* * *

Nerissa wasn't entirely sure how she was managing to maintain her grip on Sirius' fur, so blindingly fast was their speed as they half-ran, half free-fell downwards through the portal, and she was even less sure how Amber was pulling it off. Nothing about her surroundings was discernible - it was a mess of shimmering multicolored light that rushed around the group as they traveled with increasing rapidity, its brightness making it difficult to focus on anything.

That was fine by Nerissa. The more she focused on the journey ahead, the less she had to think about what had just happened.

And then another energy arrow grazed past her, followed by several more, and only focusing on what was ahead was no longer an option.

The three siblings were right behind the group, Tourmaline trained on Sirius' form with her crossbow. The velocity at which she and her siblings were traveling made aiming at the group difficult, so she had opted for simply firing a wildly-aimed salvo at her opponents, who were traveling too quickly to properly fight back against her.

One of the arrows from this salvo managed to hit with the case slung over Sirius' shoulder, causing two medal-like objects to fly out of it and rapidly fall away from their grasp.

Sirius attempted to increase their momentum in an attempt to reach the falling objects before they were completely out of their reach. Then a shockwave of dark orange energy slammed into their side, knocking the wind out of them momentarily and jostling Nerissa and Amber hard enough for the Celestial Orgel to slip from the latter's grip, sending it tumbling out of reach.

Now it was Nerissa's turn to keep Amber from leaping off Sirius, who was pushing themselves onwards despite their clearly flagging stamina, putting more and more distance between themselves and their trio of pursuers, who seemed to be arguing amongst themselves in the distance, until-

* * *

-there was a loud rushing sound filling her ears, followed by an equally loud pop and another burst of light that left spots dancing in front of her eyes, before Nerissa felt herself tumbling roughly onto what felt like, smelled like, and was revealed to be, once her eyes were able to focus - a field of grass. She pulled herself up, gritting her teeth a bit - god, she smarted all over! - as she tried to take in her immediate surroundings and get a handle on what had just happened.

Nerissa had ended up on a grassy hillside illuminated by the slowly setting evening sun. She could see a two-story brick building a short distance away. Said building had a sign with the likeness of a shooting star hanging on its front and sported what looked like an observatory on its top. The air around her, which carried a strong hint of the ocean in it and lacked the ever-present buzz of mana Nerissa was used to, felt terribly strange and yet so much more comforting than Illuster's air had towards the end.

It took a moment for her to get her head screwed back on after orienting herself but the moment she did, Nerissa registered the presence of her two fellow Illuster refugees, who were lying sprawled a few yards away.

"Amber! Siri!"

Amber shakily pulled herself to her feet the moment she saw Nerissa sprinting in her direction, but Sirius appeared to have trouble getting up. They made an earnest attempt at it… but then exhaustion kicked in, and they whimpered as they collapsed back into a prone position. Amber's look of concern at this sight quickly turned to one of distress as she spotted something behind Nerissa.

"Lady Nerissa, look out!"

Nerissa found herself being shoved aside by Amber, seconds before another shockwave of dark orange energy went shooting past her.

"Huh. You're quicker on the uptake than I thought, Miss Knight."

Agate stood before the pair, whip in hand. He looked quite disheveled, a bit disoriented, and rather like he had somewhere else he would rather be.

"Y'know, this guy'd rather be figuring out where his little sisters got thrown to... but an order is an order. Guess this is the end of the line for you three."

Agate swung his whip at Nerissa. Amber was in front of the princess with lightning speed, deflecting Agate's whip with her blade before it could touch Nerissa.

"I will not let you touch her!" she hissed. As she deflected several more attacks from Agate, she added "Take Sirius and run, Lady Nerissa. Find someplace safe. This is all a tool like myself can do for-"

Agate took advantage of Amber's momentary lapse in concentration. He lashed his whip around her sword, jerking it out of her grasp before sending it flying far out of her reach. Before he could retaliate against Amber any further, a small bolt of pink energy struck his hand. Judging by his reaction, it mildly stung more than anything, but it still made him fumble his attack just enough for Amber to sidestep it.

Nerissa was standing beside Amber, hands glowing faintly with pink light. "I'm not going anywhere, Amber. I already lost Mother and Celes. I'm not going to lose you too."

Amber looked horrified. "Lady Nerissa, if something happens to you-"

"I know." Nerissa said as she stared down Agate, who seemed too surprised at this turn of events to immediately retaliate. "But that doesn't mean I can abandon you!"

"You two, please-!" Sirius cried out, trying to rise to their feet, only for their injured ribs to bring them to their knees.

Agate sighed in resigned exasperation, as if he had been asked to take out a few bags of long-overdue garbage and not get rid of a pair of teenage girls. "Well… guess this is it, then." He swung his whip, which blazed with dark orange energy at the pair-

-and in that instant, the case slung over Sirius' shoulder suddenly flew open on its own. Two medallions - one pink with the likeness of a dolphin, and one orange with the likeness of a lion, rose upwards out of it and flew towards Nerissa and Amber. The moment the medallions appeared before the two girls, both felt a strong warmth growing in their chests. There was a radiant light shining from their hearts, which seemed to be resonating with the medallions in front of them, which were also glowing radiantly. Both lights grew in intensity by the moment, causing Agate to stagger backwards in pain when he lunged for the pair.

When the light cleared, there were two devices that resembled small CD players - Nerissa's pink and fuchsia and Amber's orange and yellow - hovering directly in front of the two girls, alongside the two medallions.

"Nerissa! Amber! Those are your Roaring Compacts!" Sirius said. "Grab those, insert the medallions into them, and say 'Pretty Cure, Roaring Rebirth'!"

Nerissa immediately grabbed her Roaring Compact and the Medallion. "Got it! Medal, set!" She opened the Roaring Compact and inserted the medallion, before closing the device and pressing one of the buttons on the front. A short melody played by a flute sounded as the medallion within spun rapidly, causing the Compact to pulse with pink light. "Pretty Cure, Roaring Rebirth!"

Amber hesitated slightly before following Nerissa's lead. "I... I see. Medal, set!", she said, following the same steps as Nerissa. A short melody played by an electric guitar sounded as the medallion within spun rapidly, causing the Compact to pulse with orange light. "Pretty Cure, Roaring Rebirth!"

An enormous, multicolored sphere of light formed around both girls, who rose into the air as they closed their eyes.

Within the sphere, Nerissa and Amber's accessories and clothing faded away and were replaced with shimmering pink and orange light, as Nerissa's hair was let down from its bindings, leaving it to flow free.

Glimmering pink water swirled around Nerissa's form, resolving into a pink dress with a fuchsia-trimmed seashell bodice with a lacy front, scalloped fuchsia shoulder pads, a large and flowing dark fuchsia waist bow, and a fuchsia-trimmed pleated skirt with a cream-colored second layer, worn over dark pink shorts. At the same time, sparkling orange lightning crackled around Amber's form, creating a waist-length orange tailcoat with yellow trim, tan pleats around the bottom edges, and tan fur trim at the ends of its long sleeves, worn over knee-length dark orange shorts with a dark yellow belt.

Still more water swirled around Nerissa's arms and legs, resolving into wrist-length pink gloves with scalloped cream-colored trim and flower-shaped fuchsia ornaments on the back, shin-length fuchsia stockings, pink shin-length boots with scalloped cream-colored trim and fuchsia ornaments towards the top, and a short, dark pink cape with scalloped edges and cream-colored lining. The lightning followed suit, crackling around Amber's arms and legs before resolving into dark orange gloves with yellow diamond-shaped ornaments on the backs, shin-length yellow stockings, orange ankle-length boots with yellow tips and tan fur trim, and a flowing dark orange cape trimmed with tan fur at the edges.

As more water danced around Nerissa's form, she gained a fuchsia choker with a cream-trimmed, pink, and flower-shaped ornament dangling from it, along with a pair of pink star-shaped earrings. Once more, the lightning followed suit, crackling around Amber's form as she gained a yellow cravat with a tan-trimmed, orange, and diamond-shaped clip, along with a pair of orange star-shaped earrings.

Nerissa's hair turned lavender and grew out past her shoulder blades in a shower of pink sparkles, as the top part became tied up into spiral buns by flowing dark pink ribbons with fuchsia, cream-trimmed star-shaped ornaments. Amber's hair turned platinum blonde, grew out to her shoulders in a shower of orange sparkles, and gained a tan-trimmed, yellow, and star-shaped hairclip with flowing orange ribbons attached.

A white and pink pouch - containing each girl's Roaring Compact - appeared at both Nerissa' and Amber's waists in a flash of pink and orange light, as the two girls opened their eyes, which had turned bright pink and vivid orange, respectively. The sphere of light dissipated as each girl touched down on the ground in a shower of pink and orange sparkles before striking heroic poses.

"Guardian of the ocean that blooms with life! Blossom Knight, Cure Delphinus!"

"Guardian of the wind that sweeps through the plains! Tempest Knight, Cure Leo!"

"The two of us are Pretty Cure!" Nerissa and Amber… or rather, Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo chorused as they faced down the now thoroughly stunned Agate.

"Those who cruelly meddle with the hearts of others-" Cure Leo said, pointing a finger at Agate.

"We'll put a stop to your actions at once!" Cure Delphinus said, following suit.

There the two stood - the legendary warriors of yore reborn, facing down one of the people responsible for their kingdom's destruction... and unbeknownst to them or the others present at the scene, being watched by a figure at the window of the nearby building.


	2. Episode Two

**Episode Two** : A New Home! A New Hope! Welcome to Shooting Star!

* * *

Cure Delphinus and Leo stood facing down Agate. Both girls seemed to radiate a powerful sort of energy off them in waves, energy that seemed to be affecting both their adversary, and Sirius, who had taken the opportunity to haul themselves a fair distance from the action. You could cut the tension between the two sides with a knife… for about all of thirty seconds.

Mere moments after transforming, Delphinus and Leo blinked in shock, turning to stare at each other, then examining the outfits they now wore, then staring at each other again, the resolute expressions they had worn on their faces mere moments ago rapidly fading into ones of utter bafflement.

Leo frantically ran a hand through her suddenly-long hair. "Wh-what did we just say?!"

Delphinus looked no less rattled as she glanced down at her hands, which were pulsing with much more magical energy than she had been able to manage a few moments ago. "What in the world did we just do?"

Agate looked as baffled by what had just unfolded as the Cures were, looking from one girl to the other and back again, growing increasingly more distraught by the moment. "What _did_ you just do?" He dismissively waved off that question. "Oh, whatever. This guy's still got a job to do, so-!"

Agate lashed at the ground with his whip, creating an immense shockwave that ripped up the ground as it rushed towards the Cures, sending a spray of dirt, grass, and rocks upwards in its wake. Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo immediately snapped to attention and reflexively leapt upwards to avoid Agate's attack… and upwards… and upwards...

…suddenly, both girls were a fair distance off the ground, their surroundings, Sirius, and Agate, who was looking around for them… and burying his face in one hand once he realized where they'd gone, looking small and far away as the two of them glanced at each other.

Leo flailed her arms to stabilize herself as she realized just how far the two had ended up off the ground. "Lady N… Lady Delphinus? Did we just-"

"It seems that way..." Delphinus responded, mere seconds before gravity caught up with the Cures, and the two girls went plunging back down to the ground almost as rapidly as they'd leapt up from it, both yelling at the top of their lungs the whole way down.

Delphinus managed to touch down unsteadily on the ground, leaving a shower of pink sparkles in her wake, but Leo wasn't so lucky. As she was plunging downwards alongside her princess, Agate snapped to attention and bounded upwards, lashing his whip out towards her.

"Gotcha!" he said as he snagged Leo's leg with his whip.

Before Leo could react properly, Agate flung her roughly to the ground, hard enough to create a small indentation. The second she attempted to pull herself up, Agate touched down on the ground and sprung towards her with lightning speed, aiming a roundhouse kick at her chest as his leg glowed with dark orange energy. His attack connected in a burst of dark orange light, drawing a sharp gasp of pain from Leo as she was driven backwards, cutting sharp drag marks through the ground.

"Leo!" Delphinus cried.

Delphinus rushed towards her opponent, and as if by instinct, extended her right hand outwards in front of her. The flower ornament on the back of her glove glowed pink as a high-pressure torrent of glimmering pink water shot from the palm her hand, hitting Agate square on the chest and knocking him away from Leo before he could advance on the orange Cure. Judging by his reaction, it was far more painful than her last attempt at hurting him with her magic had been.

Now it was Leo's turn to take advantage of a chink in her opponent's armor. She leapt forwards and drove a fist, which crackled with orange lightning energy, into the stunned Agate's stomach... and blinked in surprise at how far her attack sent him flying.

Agate hit the ground hard enough to leave an indentation of his own. It took a moment for him to recover, and once he did, it was clear that Leo's attacks had knocked the fight right out of him. "Holy... just what are you two?!"

"The legendary warriors Pretty Cure!" Delphinus responded, without missing a beat. Leo, still smarting, but visibly triumphant, nodded affirmatively, before both girls assumed a fighting stance.

"Yeah, but-" Agate shook his head vigorously once more. "Guess it doesn't matter too much right now." He put a nonchalant hand behind his head as he laughed nervously, exposing some unusually pointed canines. "Point is, I'm out of here. This guy's not a guy who picks fights he might not win… nor is he one to leave his little sisters hanging."

Before Delphinus and Leo could do anything more, a circle of dark orange runes appeared at Agate's feet, and he vanished, leaving a burst of kicked-up soil in his wake. A moment later, Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo reverted to Nerissa and Amber in a flash of pink and orange. The two girls collapsed to their knees in exhaustion as the damage inflicted on the surroundings by their brief scuffle with Agate faded away in a soft shimmer of light. Soon, it was as if no fight had taken place there to begin with.

"Amazing, amazing. So, this is the power of Pretty Cure!" Sirius, now back to their humanoid form, rushed towards the pair… as quickly as they could in their still-injured state, before offering an arm to each girl. "Can you two stand?"

"I believe so." Nerissa let Sirius help her up and steady her with their body. Amber, on the other hand, shook her head once Sirius offered her a hand as well, insistently pulling herself up on her own, something that caused her to wince slightly in pain and drew a slightly distressed-sounding noise from the princess. "Amber! Please - you're hurt!"

Amber replied with a small, strained-looking smile. "It's alright, Lady Nerissa. As your bodyguard, I'm the only one who should be getting hurt here anyway."

Sirius, sensing Nerissa tense in response, abruptly cut in with "Before anything else, we need to find a place to rest. It'll be nightfall soon, you know, you know?"

And then someone loudly cleared their throat behind them.

After a moment's hesitation, the Illuster refugees turned to find a woman who appeared to be in her early twenties and was slightly shorter than Amber. Her skin was deeply tanned and sported a spray of freckles across the bridge of her nose, and her long and wavy dark brown hair was tied into a high ponytail with a blue scrunchie. She wore a sky-blue button-down shirt with its top button undone and its sleeves rolled up halfway, exposing noticeably toned arms, along with deep gray pants and black sneakers.

The stranger's royal blue eyes were scrutinizing the group with focused intensity, her gaze especially intense on Sirius' ears, which were at attention now, along with their tail, which was now wagging nervously as if trying to verify that those features were indeed real.

The woman coughed awkwardly before speaking. "Sorry to interrupt your little discussion, but who are you, where did you come from, and what the hell just happened here?"

Nerissa was the first to break the stunned silence that followed. "Well, you see, we-"

The woman cut her off with a shake of her head. "You can save the explanations for once we get back to Shooting Star. You three look like you're in desperate need of a cup of hot cocoa and a place to rest for a bit before anything else."

* * *

Shooting Star, as it so happened, was the name of the building near where the Illuster refugees had landed. The woman would escort them to it... eventually. At present, Amber wanted to find her sword before it grew too dark to locate. Her request drew a double-take from the woman.

"You have a sword." she deadpanned as she watched Amber scramble to locate it, occasionally gritting her teeth in pain all the while… and Nerissa quickly move to help her with the task despite Amber's dogged insistence that her princess need not trouble herself with such things.

"Of course?" Amber had responded, without looking up from her search, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "It's standard procedure for members of the Illustrian royal guard to carry one at all times."

Even as the woman moved to bring the chalkboard sign that had been sitting outside the front of Shooting Star inside and unlock its front door, she was still casting brief, pointed glances at the sword Amber now held in its sheath once more. Clearly, the idea of a teenage girl carrying around such things did not appeal to her in the slightest.

"Well, here we are." she said as she opened the front door and switched on the lights, sitting the now-folded sign beside the door. "Shooting Star - home of the best cup of coffee in Seizato."

Nerissa's eyes widened as she took in the sight of the room she and her companions had just been led into. The ceiling was decorated with stars made of metallic gold paper, a ceiling fan shaped like a planetary system hung from its center, and several star-shaped lamps dangled from it. The walls of the room were solid black, bedecked with recreations of various constellations, and hung with framed photographs of nebulae and planets. A handful of circular off-white tables, surrounded by alternating black and white chairs, dotted the room, which was taken up in part by a half-circle counter, with a row of alternating black and white stools in front.

There was a great deal of equipment Nerissa did not recognize on and behind the counter, along with shelves full of ingredients of some sort, and what looked like a small kitchen a bit further back, next to a set of stairs leading upwards. A slate board on the counter sported what appeared to be a list of menu items, along with a drawing of a comet with a comical winking face, and there seemed to be still more menu items on the boards hung up behind the counter.

Even if this place was thoroughly unfamiliar, Nerissa mused, its accoutrements still managed to bring Illuster to mind. That was both reassuring and heartbreaking.

"Just sit tight while I get your cocoa ready. Anywhere' s fine." She slipped behind the counter, tied on a black and silver star print apron, and began messing with some of the equipment behind said counter. "I locked up for the night a little while ago, so there's no need to worry about anyone walking in on us. No need to worry about paying either - this one's on the house."

Nerissa gracefully seated herself at the counter, smoothing her dingy skirt a bit as she positioned herself on her stool. Amber and Sirius followed her lead, the former plonking herself heavily on the stool on Nerissa's right side, the latter elegantly seating themselves on Nerissa's left side. Together, the Illuster refugees silently watched the woman work. Once she was finished, she offered a steaming hot mug of cocoa with star-shaped to Nerissa, before offering one to Amber. Once she got to Sirius, she hesitated.

Sirius tilted their head to one side. "Is something wrong?"

"Can you even have hot cocoa?" the woman asked. "Sorry if I'm out of line here, but you're a dog? A dog person? Not human?" She looked more and more exasperated with herself as she spoke. "And dogs aren't supposed to have chocolate, so…"

Sirius looked downright amused. "Oh my, my, my, it's fine, I promise! I'm quite fond of chocolate, as it happens." They motioned for their cup of cocoa, which the woman handed over, after a moment of stunned hesitation. "I'm assuming you don't have Celestial Beasts living here?"

"Y-yeah, those… really aren't a thing where I'm from." the woman said. She leaned forwards on the counter, sizing up the three strangers before her. "So… like I asked earlier, could you please tell me who you are, and what all… that was? Because let me tell you, seeing two kids, a talking d… Celestial Beast, and some other random drop out of the sky isn't something I can let go. And that's not even getting into whatever weird Sailor Moon-type stunt you two kids pulled after that."

Once more, Nerissa was the first to speak up, after a sip of cocoa. "I am Princess Nerissa of Illuster. It is truly a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She made an attempt at a curtsy from her sitting position - an awkward gesture, which she somehow managed to pull off. "As for my two companions-"

"Amber Lowe, bodyguard." Amber was barely attempting to make eye contact with the woman, instead staring into her mug of hot cocoa, which she was busy blowing into.

"Sirius, head librarian of the royal library of Illuster, steward of the Temple of the Stars, and most recently, mentor to the legendary warriors Pretty Cure."

The woman looked more lost than before. "Tsubasa Aozora… cafe owner. A pleasure to meet you and your companions, your… highness?" She awkwardly played with a loose strand of hair before adding "So, uh, how in the world did you get from… wherever the heck Illuster is to Japan? And do you Illuster people speak impeccable Japanese over there, or is this some kind of magic trick? And what in the world is a… those two sure didn't turn into photo booths, so-"

"It is magic, yes, yes - a passive enchantment used to deal with the language barriers that pop up back home, specifically. And it's 'Pretty Cure', not 'purikura'." Sirius said between sips of their cocoa.

Tsubasa didn't look at all satisfied by Sirius' explanation, but she seemed willing to let it slide. "Okay, right. Then what's a 'Pretty Cure', and why did you kids transform into them in the first place?"

So, the Illuster refugees explained… or rather, Nerissa and Sirius explained, while Amber occasionally interjected in the affirmative. Nerissa spoke of her ultimately portentous nightmare, of the attack led on the Celestial Citadel during her fourteenth birthday, of the loss of the Roaring Sparks of everyone in her kingdom. Sirius explained what a Roaring Spark even was and bytheir flight from the castle, followed by Nerissa recounting her and Amber's theirawakening as Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo.

"And now it's up to these two to restore the Rainbow Melody that once protected Illuster, so we can return home, yes, yes." Sirius concluded. "The warriors of legend used their powers to protect our homeland - and yours - thousands of years ago, and they'll do it again. I have no reason to believe otherwise."

Tsubasa was standing a few paces back from the counter, her head set to the side, and her face a complete blank.

"Miss Aozora?" Nerissa asked worriedly.

"That story… just kept coming and coming." Tsubasa said. She massaged her temples vigorously, as if her brain was in danger of leaking from her ears.

"Ahaha… sorry, sorry! I can try to summarize it more briefly?" said Sirius.

"That's not the issue!" Tsubasa snapped. Then she added, more gently. "But, you know, even if I don't get what you just said, I believe you. I know what I saw. And there's one part I definitely get - you three have nowhere else to go, right?"

"That is correct, yes." Nerissa's tone grew noticeably heavier. "And as Siri said, that will continue to be the case until we have concluded our mission."

"And that's assuming we find the Celestial Orgel again." There was no shortage of bitterness in Amber's voice as she pointedly stared down at her mug, watching the marshmallows within slowly dissolve in the cocoa.

Nerissa looked even more troubled at Amber's words. "I'm certain we'll recover it, Amber!" Then, to Tsubasa "I wouldn't dream of making myself your concern, Miss Aozora. My status means nothing here, so it isn't as if I have any right to impose-"

Tsubasa cut Nerissa off with a raised hand. I'm not implying I'd let you all stay here because you're a princess, your highness. I'm up for it because it's wrong to turn a couple kids and their... traveling companion onto the street." She frowned thoughtfully as she crossed her arms. "Although… if you two are staying with me, there'd be a lot to work out. For one, I don't think I can harbor a 'Princess Nerissa of Illuster' or an 'Amber Lowe' here without turning some heads, and then there's Sirius here…"

"Oh, I don't think I'll be an issue." Sirius hopped off their stool. Their form glowed white before resolving into one that looked rather like a white akita inu. "There are dogs with like this in your world, correct?"

"Yeah, outside of the star mark and the talking." Tsubasa said. She looked more wearily resigned than anything at this point. "Anyway, once you kids finish your cocoa, follow me upstairs. There are a couple spare bedrooms up here, along with a place you can get washed up. I'll get you some pajamas as well. They might be a bit big on you, your highness. Sorry about that."

Tsubasa took off, muttering to herself as she ascended the stairs behind the counter, leaving the three people she seemed to have taken on as charges to their own devices.

Nerissa sighed, slipping off the barstool and removing her tiara from her head, staring down pointedly at it as she spoke. "So that's it, then. I really do hope we are not actually being a bother."

Amber finally, finally seemed to have cooled her cocoa down enough that she could take a sip of it - and she did seem to like what she tasted, her gaze trained on her princess all the while. "I'm not sure about how I feel about her, but it'd be foolish to decline the offer of shelter. Anything that keeps you safe, Lady Nerissa."

Sirius, meanwhile, was staring after Tsubasa, whining softly as they laid their head down on their paws. "My, my… I hope she'll be alright." they said quietly, more to themselves than to anyone else in the room. "It is a lot to pile onto someone all at once."

* * *

The Utsuroids that had once been the citizens of Illuster did not remain mobile forever. Once every sapient being within the kingdom had been transformed, they begin to gradually slow their movements, until they had ceased to move entirely. And once they had settled in one place, making every inch of the kingdom look as if it had been splattered with black ink, their forms resolved into lifeless, colorless copies of the people they had been before.

Illuster was now littered with unmoving, soulless bodies, which stared out into space with dull, glassy eyes as they laid sprawled on the ground like broken dolls. Now the kingdom was truly devoid of life, save for the animals that had been left behind. And even they were growing quieter and more still by the moment.

Tourmaline and Selenite stood side by side in the Citadel's now gray and lifeless gardens amongst a sea of unmoving, dead-eyed bodies. Both twins stared fixedly up at the sky, the inhumanity of their eyes sharply accentuated by the sickly light the moon was emitting. A few gray rabbits had settled around Selenite's feet, while a snow-white owl was staring at Tourmaline from its position in a nearby tree, hooting softly lethargically in her direction.

"There are no stars in the sky." Tourmaline's expression and tone of voice were almost entirely devoid of emotion. "And the birds are growing quieter by the moment."

"The moon no longer shines as brightly." Selenite absently scooped up a rabbit that had wandered near her into her arms. It was too lethargic to resist being picked up. "Oh… the rabbits are fading as well." She gently stroked the rabbit's fur as another rabbit pushed its head into her leg. "But it's fine like this, right, Tourmaline?"

"That's right, Selenite." Tourmaline replied without hesitation. "This is how it's meant to be."

The twins remained like this for a few moments until a dark orange circle of runes appeared a few feet away from them, followed by a burst of kicked-up soil, then the appearance of a visibly disheveled Agate. The moment he appeared, Selenite let the rabbit she was holding gently slip from her arms. It and the other rabbits that had been surrounding her scattered about as lethargically as the nearby owl, who clumsily took wing at the sudden appearance of this third stranger.

"You're late." the twins chorused.

Agate gaped at the sight of his sisters. "Really? _Really?_ I have been running myself ragged trying to figure out where you two got thrown to after we landed, and you just turn around and… and bail on me! And now you're getting upset at me?"

"It seems he didn't sense Lady Sardonyx calling for him, Selenite." Tourmaline glanced over at her twin… and pointedly avoided eye contact with her older brother. "So disrespectful. You would think the eldest sibling would be better than this."

"It's quite unfortunate, Tourmaline. So irresponsible of him." Selenite's stern facade lasted for a few seconds longer before crumbling to pieces. "Did you at least deal with the ones that got away, big bro?"

Agate grimaced the moment Selenite brought that up, his bronze eyes flicking to the side for a moment. "Erm… _yeah_ , that. Didn't go so well. But… this guy'd rather hash that out with Lady Sardonyx before anyone." A pause, then. "So, why'd she summon you two? Something up?"

"Lady Sardonyx has fallen ill." Tourmaline said. "Clearly, this isn't a matter of concern for you, since you took your time returning, but-"

"Now, wait just a second before you start firing accusations at me, Tourmaline." Agate started forwards and leaned towards the green-haired girl, clearly trying to leverage his height over her.

Tourmaline stared unblinking into Agate's eyes, completely unmoved by his attempt at intimidating her. "Pithy words from someone who cannot be bothered to pay Lady Sardonyx due respect, after everything she's done for us."

Agate bristled visibly, even as he continued to lock eyes with Tourmaline. "Says one of the girls who just… off and lets her big brother rip his hair out over her, because taking _thirty godforsaken seconds_ to pop over and get him would be too damn hard-"

Before either party could get another word in, Selenite had pushed herself between her two siblings. Before either could react, she had gently shoved both a few feet away from one another as if neither party weighed much at all.

"There's no need to fight!" Selenite let out a small huff as she glanced from one sibling to the other. She took a moment for the two to collect themselves before she spoke again. "You said you wanted to talk to Lady Sardonyx about the escapees, right, big bro? How about we take him to her, Tourmaline?"

Tourmaline shot Agate a dirty look… but softened a bit once her sister spoke. "That sounds acceptable, Selenite. Let's go."

* * *

The gold and white bedchamber that had once belonged to Queen Lucinda had been repurposed for Sardonyx's use. She was a far cry from the woman she had been a few hours ago. She now laid propped up in the queen's immense four poster bed, her cape slung over a nearby armchair, and her chest slowly rising and falling with slow, ragged breaths. Her skin was beaded with sweat, gluing her hair to her forehead, a great deal of color had drained from her complexion, and her eyes barely managed to focus on Agate as he stepped into the room.

"There you are, Agate." Sardonyx said. Her voice sounded terribly strained, as if she was on the verge of passing out any second now.

Tourmaline and Selenite immediately moved to linger by Sardonyx's side, looks of muted worry on their faces as Agate approached Sardonyx. The eldest of the trio looked more than a bit strung out by his leader's condition.

"Lady Sardonyx? What in the world happened?"

Sardonyx pointedly averted her gaze from Agate. "The power to blacken the Roaring Spark of every sapient being… it seems I burned it out. Didn't realize I had that little to work with… or that my body would respond this poorly." She stared down at her hands, scowling. "How irritating."

Although Sardonyx's words were meant to suggest mere annoyance, her tone suggested genuine misery, something that obviously troubled her three followers quite a bit.

"Lady Sardonyx, if there is anything I can provide you with-" Tourmaline started.

Sardonyx shook her head before looking back towards Agate. "Where were you? What happened to your targets? And what about the Orgel?"

"Yeah, about that…" Agate said. "This guy kinda lost track of the Orgel-" These words prompted a knowing glance between Tourmaline and Selenite, which he tried his best to ignore. "-but that's not what's bothering him right now. See, I chased down those three from Illuster, just like you asked, Lady Sardonyx, but then-"

Sardonyx might have been struggling to focus on her eldest underling at first, but once Agate began talking about his brief scuffle with Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo, she was completely at attention. She seemed to recover a bit more vigor the further Agate went into his story. Said story had also engaged the attention of the twins as well, who were leaning forwards a bit and whispering to themselves as their brother's tale progressed.

Sardonyx, who was now sitting up a bit more straightly, was silent for a few moments after Agate spoke, closing her eyes as her lips twitched imperceptibly a few times. Finally, she opened her eyes once more and spoke, her voice slightly distant.

"I see… the legendary warriors Pretty Cure have appeared once more. I really will be dealing with them yet again."

Looks were exchanged between the three siblings.

"Lady Sardonyx?" A look of genuine hurt written on Tourmaline's normally-impassive face. "What do you mean 'yet again'? Why did you not warn us about this 'Pretty Cure' first?"

"Did you not trust us?" Selenite asked, quite nearly at the same level of distress as her twin.

Agate was scratching his neck a bit. "Y-yeah, Lady Sardonyx… this guy means no disrespect, but it's just a bit-"

"Silence!" Sardonyx snapped, eyes blazing.

The temperature of the room rising ever-so-slightly as Sardonyx rounded on the siblings as best as she could from her bed-borne position, a reaction that led Selenite to jump two feet into the air, Agate to draw backwards, and Tourmaline to retreat a step or two before dropping into a bow of apology.

"I'm sorry!" Selenite was muttering under her breath, trembling all over as she clung like a limpet to her sister, who remained frozen in her bow of apology. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry-"

Almost immediately, Sardonyx's demeanor softened. "No, Selenite, I should be apologizing, I…" She pointedly averted her gaze from her underlings in favor of focusing on the gold filigree on the walls. "Please leave me alone. I need to rest for a bit."

Tourmaline immediately straightened from her bow of supplication, offering a stiff nod in response. "Understood, Lady Sardonyx."

She promptly lef the room, the still visibly distressed Selenite in tow.

Agate, on the other hand, lingered by Sardonyx' side. "Lady Sardonyx, if there's anything I can do for you at all-"

"Just go already." Sardonyx was still averting her gaze. "I shall consult with you three later, once I've recovered. But I cannot do that with you badgering me."

Agate needed no further convincing. He offered Sardonyx a hasty bow before he hurried on his way. The door behind him slammed shut on its own before flashing violet.

* * *

The bedrooms that Nerissa and Amber had been led to after both girls, now clad in T-shirts and pajama pants that Tsubasa had loaned out to them for the time being, had cleaned up sufficiently were neither particularly large nor particularly clean. They were plain affairs, sporting little beyond a bed, a nightstand, a closet, and a dresser, all of which were coated with a thin layer of dust.

"Really sorry about this." Tsubasa had looked more than a bit embarrassed at the condition of the bedrooms she'd led the girls to. "The whole Aozora family lived here once… but these days, it's just me, myself, and I, so these don't get used a lot. I promise I'll clean them up a bit tomorrow!"

That clearly hadn't been enough to content Amber, who had been scowling a little as she'd dragged a finger through the dust coating the nightstand of what was supposed to be Nerissa's bedroom. "Don't you have anything nicer for Lady Nerissa?" she'd asked. "I'll gladly sleep on the floor if I have to, but a princess like Lady Nerissa deserves far better than this."

"Amber, I promise it's alright!" Nerissa had a bit of a time not letting annoyance creep into her voice as she spoke. "Didn't I just say my status means nothing here?" Then, to Tsubasa, who had looked just a bit put out at Amber's words "I'm grateful just to have a place to stay, Ms. Aozora. Thank you kindly." She had followed up her words with yet another curtsy... which looked a bit strange in the NASA T-shirt and pajama pants she was wearing, both of which hung quite loosely on a petite girl like her.

Even after all of that, Amber had still insisted on staying up and cleaning her bedroom and Nerissa's. But even after cleaning Nerissa's bedroom until it sparkled and doing a half-hearted job of cleaning her own afterward, Amber still found it impossible to drift off into slumber. Keeping her sword at grabbing distance, lest she need it in the dead of night, did not help like it usually did, and while holding onto her Roaring Compact helped her feel slightly better, it still wasn't enough.

After staring at the ceiling for what seemed like an eternity, Amber finally rolled out of bed, and slipped out of her bedroom. For a moment, she considered calling out to Nerissa once she'd arrived at her door before thinking better of it and knocking.

"You may enter, Amber."

Amber slipped inside Nerissa's bedroom. The princess, who had set her Roaring Compact on her nightstand, was kneeling on her bed and gazing outside the window next to it. She had cracked open said window a bit, allowing a bit of ocean air to drift inside. Her violet hair, which was worn down in its naturally wavy and shoulder-length glory, was rustled gently by the wind as it caught the moonlight outside, and her crimson eyes sparkled as they reflected the light of the stars glimmering in the night sky.

Her princess looked strikingly beautiful at present, Amber mused to herself. Not that she would ever verbalize such thoughts. She had no right to have them about a superior.

"How odd." Nerissa was still staring out the window as she spoke. "This still looks like the same starry sky from back home." She turned her attention to Amber, who was still standing in the doorway, looking as if the floor before her was made of lava. "You can sit beside me if you want, Amber! It's perfectly alright!"

Amber nodded and haltingly approached Nerissa's bed before sitting next to her. "Apologies for bothering you at this hour, Lady Nerissa. I couldn't sleep."

"It's alright." Nerissa pulled herself away from the window and moved next to Amber. "I was having difficulty getting to sleep myself. I thought looking at the stars might help, like it did back home. It does somewhat, but..."

"It really does look like the night sky we knew. It's uncomfortably nostalgic." Nerissa looked relieved at Amber saying what she didn't have to. Amber, who was now staring down at her hands, didn't notice. "Despite my training, I was too cowardly to save anyone And because I stupidly lost the Orgel, we might never see the starry sky in Illuster-"

Nerissa took Amber's calloused hand in her smoother, more delicate one and shook her head. "We _will_ see that starry sky in Illuster again someday. We _will_ find the Orgel. We _will_ succeed in our mission. I will see Mother and Celes again - and I will make sure you can reunite with Captain Alex."

Amber's gaze remained lowered - keeping Nerissa from noticing how it darkened at the affectionate nickname the princess had for her mother. "If you say so, Lady Nerissa..."

"There's no 'if you say so' about it, Amber." Nerissa gave the taller girl's hand a gentle squeeze. "We have come this far already despite everything, have we not? Besides - we're Pretty Cure now. It might be a while before we properly master our powers, but they _are_ the key in us returning home... and it is nice being able to fight back properly." She sighed, her tone deflating a bit. "Maybe they'll even allow us to get close enough to Sardonyx to talk to her. There has to be more to what she said back then."

Amber looked up at Nerissa, russet eyes wide with concern at the mention of the Illuster invasion's ringleader. "Lady Nerissa? What do you mean by-"

Nerissa looked aside, her expression rather pensive. "It's nothing you need to worry yourself with." After a moment of silence, she added "Hey... remember when the two of us used to share my bed? Back when we were children? I was terribly afraid of the dark, if I recall."

"Oh, I remember." Amber was smiling wryly. "You insisted there were monsters hiding in there... and I promised I could fight them off with my sword if they showed up. Anything to keep you safe."

Nerissa giggled behind her free hand. "My... what a ridiculous child I was back then." Then "Would you be averse to doing that again tonight? I know it's been a long time, but it might help both of us."

Amber abruptly pulled away from Nerissa. "I... can't. We're not children anymore, Lady Nerissa. I wasn't aware of my place back then anyway." Nerissa looked horribly disappointed, prompting Amber to add "I can at least sleep in your room, if that will help?"

Nerissa, who tried her best to swallow back her discontent. "That would work, yes."

Amber left the room, returning a little while later with a few pillows and blankets, which she converted into a pallet on the floor next to Nerissa's bed. With that done, she sat her sword and her Roaring Compact down besides said makeshift pallet before waiting for Nerissa to switch off the lights and get tucked into bed. Once she was content that the princess was sufficiently comfortable, Amber tucked herself in.

"Good night, Lady Nerissa."

"Good night, Amber. Please sleep well."

In a few moments, both girls had finally managed to relax and drift off into - mercifully dreamless - slumber.

* * *

Tsubasa Aozora was not having the best of nights. The owner of Shooting Star was, in fact, on the edge of tearing out her hair as she paced the floor of her cafe with enough fervor to lead one to assume that she was about to wear a hole in the floor. Sirius, now back in their humanoid form and seated at one of the cafe tables, watched her with mounting worry as she carried on.

"I can't believe this, I can't believe this… I really can't believe this!" Tsubasa paced the floor a few more times before collapsing heavily into the chair next to Sirius. "What did I just get into here?"

" _Well-"_ Sirius began.

"It was a rhetorical question, Sirius." Tsubasa leaned forwards and buried her chin in her hands. "I know what I said I'd do. But man, it's… there's _so much_. I have to figure out how to get you guys to blend in here, I have to get those two into school with a nonexistent paper trail, I have to scrape together enough resources to care for two teenagers… and that's not even getting into all that magical girl business." She leaned forwards further, now resting her head in her arms. "I'm exhausted just thinking about it."

"I can help?" Sirius said, causing Tsubasa to look up slightly. "True, true, I can't blend in here as well as Lady Nerissa or Amber can, but I have been around for quite a while. I know a great many things about this and that. Things that can help me pull some strings. And I do owe you, after what you did for the three of us, yes, yes."

Tsubasa laughed, her voice slightly muffled by her arms. "Sheesh… I guess both of us are the type to go out of our way for people we barely know." She took a moment to straighten herself up before adding "God, it's nice to hear that, though. I need all the help I can get."

The two sat together in silence for a few moments before Tsubasa leapt to her feet and pulled the keys to Shooting Star out of her pocket. "Okay, enough wool-gathering! We need to take off into town and grab a couple of things. There are a few stores in the shopping district that are still open. Unfortunately, most of them don't allow dogs. You don't mind having to wait outside, right?"

"Not at all, not at all!" Sirius said as they sprang to their feet, shifting into dog form as they touched down on the ground. "Let's be off, Miss Aozora!"

Sirius went bounding out the door Tsubasa held open for them, before she gently shut and locked it behind her.

* * *

Nerissa awoke to the morning sun shining on her face.

For a brief moment, she could almost convince herself that she was back home, safe and warm in her spacious bed… and then her eyes slowly fluttered open and were met not with the ornate velvet curtains of her bedchamber in the Citadel but with plain black ones framing a much less elaborate window in Shooting Star.

It would be fine, she reminded herself, swallowing back tears as she shook off the remnants of last night's sleep. It would all work out, just as she had told Amber. She had to believe that. To do otherwise would needlessly burden Amber and Sirius and cause Tsubasa undue stress. She could not do that to them.

Speaking of Amber, it seemed she was gone, along with the pallet she had put together the night before. Nerissa smiled softly at that. Typical Amber, always an early riser. And then her attention was caught by something else: a neatly-folded pile of clothes that sat on the top of the small dresser in her new bedroom, topped by a pair of red-framed spectacles and a small note written in neat-looking handwriting.

 _Hope these agree with you - your dog friend helped me pick them out last night. Get ready once you're up to it - there's a bit I need to talk to you about."_

* * *

Amber was seated at the counter of Shooting Star, slowly picking at (and vigorously blowing on each bite of) an omelet when Nerissa entered the main area, an act that immediately tore her attention from her breakfast, her eyes widening as she took in the sight of the other girl.

"Lady Nerissa, you…" She paused, clearly casting about for words. "You look really nice!"

Nerissa certainly looked different - her hair was pulled up into a bun far looser than before and ornamented with a pink flower hairclip, and the red-framed spectacles Tsubasa had purchased for her now sat on her face. She wore a pink cardigan with scalloped edges at the ends of the sleeves, a white T-shirt printed with violet, pink, and orange hearts, a pleated skirt with alternating fuchsia, cream, and white stripes, knee-length white socks, and brown loafers.

"You really think so?" Nerissa took a moment to examine how she looked in her new clothing. "It is a bit different than what I'm used to, so I'm glad I wear it well. Yours look wonderful on you as well, Amber."

Amber muttered a "thanks" before turning her attention back to her eggs to hide the flush creeping into her cheeks. The taller girl was dressed quite differently now as well, clad in a red-orange jacket with tan fur trim around the collar, a yellow T-shirt with a black lightning bolt on the front, dark blue jeans, and red-orange and white sneakers. Only one element of her appearance was thoroughly familiar - her sword, which sat in its sheath, propped against the stool she was currently seated it.

"Oh, there's the sleeping beauty!" called Tsubasa, who was standing behind the counter, once she noticed Nerissa. Although her tone was chipper, the pronounced shadows under her eyes, and the way she downed the mug of coffee she held in her hand right after she spoke told an entirely different story. "Sit down and grab a bite to eat - there's a bit I want to talk with you two about."

Nerissa did just that, seating herself at the counter as Tsubasa passed her an omelet. It was quite delicious, but she had difficulty concentrating on eating it in light of Tsubasa's obvious exhaustion. It seemed Sirius, who was lying on the floor in dog form and snoozing quietly, was no less drained.

"Miss Aozora? Is all well?"

"It's getting there." Tsubasa said, before downing her mug of coffee… and immediately pouring herself another one. "Taking you guys on is… a little work, but Sirius and I were able to set up a game plan last night. Your dog friend here was oddly willing to help me pull off what… basically amounts to criminal activity for you two's sake."

Amber immediately abandoned blowing on her food the moment Tsubasa mentioned this, bristling visibly. "What do you mean by 'criminal activity', exactly?"

Tsubasa sighed. "Listen, it's not like I wanted to do this… but I can't let you _not_ enroll in school without getting you two in trouble. Sirius says they'll help me magic up some fake documents for you guys, and while that's _technically_ illegal… a gal's gotta do what she's gotta do."

Amber exchanged a sidelong glance at Nerissa, who shrugged and mouthed "We should go with it for now" back at her, causing Amber to relax slightly.

"Anyway!" Tsubasa slammed her mug down on the countertop, making Nerissa jump slightly and briefly causing Sirius to briefly stir from their slumber. "You guys are Nanami Nagisa and Kohaku Shishioh. Your families are from Japan… but spent years overseas, so you're unfortunately a bit rusty on how things work around here. Since your parents are friends of a friend, I agreed to host you at my house while you came over to study abroad." A pause, then "That's what I and Sirius put together last night. Sound good?"

"I… believe so?" Nerissa… or well, she supposed it was Nanami now, said. "But do you believe it will hold up under scrutiny?"

"As long as no one pries too hard, sure?" Tsubasa responded, between sips of coffee. "I have a… _reputation_ around Seizato, so I could come up with something far wilder, and people would still buy into it completely. So please try not to pull anything too wild while you're here. Something tells me my story - and the identities I'll have to establish for you guys - will fall apart like a house of cards if anyone pokes at them too hard."

"I don't think you'll have to worry." Nanami replied without hesitation. "I promise that we will be on nothing but our best behavior, won't we, Amb… Kohaku?"

The newly-christened Kohaku, who was busy turning the idea of having to go to school - with the help of fake documents - over in her head and clearly not finding the idea to her liking in the slightest, looked up the moment Nanami spoke. "Oh… yes, of course! I swear to keep a low profile for Lady Ner… Lady Nanami's sake."

"You don't have to call me-" Nanami started. Kohaku didn't seem to hear her, and the words died in Nanami's throat prematurely.

Tsubasa waited for Nanami and Kohaku to eat a bit more of their breakfast before she spoke again. "So… once you kids are done eating, you mind heading out for a bit? There's some stuff Sirius and I need to take care of before the day's over. Besides, you should get to know this place, since you'll be here a while." As Tsubasa poured herself another cup of coffee, she added "And leave the sword, Kohaku. I know you're her bodyguard and all, but the people of Seizato wouldn't take well to a gal hauling a blade around."

Kohaku looked genuinely offended by this. "But if we run into danger-"

"We have the power of Pretty Cure on our side" Nanami finished, indicating her Roaring Compact, which sat in her cardigan pocket. "Don't worry - I'm sure we'll be fine."

"Duly noted, Lady Nanami." Kohaku said. Although she certainly sounded perfectly accepting, she still sulked through the rest of her breakfast.

* * *

The once bright and radiant audience chamber of the Citadel was now all but lightless, save for the globes of golden flame that Sardonyx had created to serve as illumination. Sardonyx seemed to be feeling a bit better as she sat in what had once been Queen Lucinda's throne, but she was still visibly drained. Nevertheless, the leader of the Void Clan still radiated a commanding presence as she coolly regarded her three genuflecting servants.

"I have a task to entrust you with, my Void Triad." Sardonyx said. As she spoke, the shadow she cast on the wall behind her seemed to shift ever-so-slightly. "Offer me your crystals."

Without hesitation, the Void Triad extended the hands with the gems inset in the back towards their leader, who muttered something under her breath. Sardonyx's forehead gem pulsed with dark violet energy, a bit of which leapt into each of the gems on the siblings' hands. The moment this was done, Sardonyx gasped in pain, slouching in her throne as she pressed a hand to her head, as if suddenly overcome by a splitting migraine.

"Lady Sardonyx!" Tourmaline wasted no time in leaping to her feet, with her older brother and twin sister following suit, and starting towards her leader, who waved her off.

"I'll be fine." Sardonyx did not sound at all fine. "I had just enough of my gift left to do this. That's all that matters."

Selenite stared down at the ground. "I'm sorry… if you hadn't used so much of your gift to bring us back…"

Sardonyx shook her head. "That was for a good cause. After all, without you three, I would have no hope of realizing my ideal world." That certainly had the Void Triad's attention. "I have given you the power to create Utsuroids of your own. They will not be as effective as mine, but they will create the negative energy I require." She grinned maliciously. "And of course, I'm sure they'll be a tremendous help in defeating Pretty Cure. We must deal with those nuisances posthaste."

Tourmaline stepped forwards the very second Sardonyx concluded her explanation. "Lady Sardonyx, allow me to be the first one to carry out your orders."

"But-" Selenite started.

Agate said nothing, simply standing back and making a small noise of annoyance under his breath.

Tourmaline narrowed her eyes at her brother. "After your show of utter incompetence, you should be grateful that Lady Sardonyx would even trust you with this task." Then, to her twin - "You'll have your chance, Selenite… but the first mission should be left to your older sister."

"Older by _five minutes_." Selenite groused under her breath. Still, she made no attempt at stopping Tourmaline. Agate didn't seem willing to object either.

"The more intense the emotions of the target, the brighter the Roaring Spark." Sardonyx said. "The brighter the Roaring Spark, the more negative energy the Utsuroid will create. Remember this, Tourmaline. And do not disappoint me."

"I would sooner die, Lady Sardonyx." Tourmaline's gaze was steely and her expression stoic as she dropped into a bow. " _My life for you."_

As she spoke, a circle of dark blue runes appeared at Tourmaline's feet. Seconds later, she had vanished from the room, leaving a brief upward gust of wind in her wake.

* * *

Tsubasa had set the sign that had been besides Shooting Star's entrance the other day back up, Nanami noted, as she and Kohaku stepped outside. "Closed due to unforeseen circumstances - be back tomorrow!" was written in chalk in Tsubasa's neat penmanship, next to a chalk drawing of an apologetic-looking shooting star.

There was a paved road leading out from the hilltop on which Shooting Star sat, giving Nanami and Kohaku a decent view of Seizato before them. It was not a large town, and its grandeur paled in comparision to Illuster's. Even so, Nanami's eyes still sparkled as she took in the sight of what would be her and Kohaku's home for the time being. A small town like this was quite novel, the ocean that flanked it on all sides caught the sun like a precious jewel, and the greenery around the area was brilliantly vibrant.

Most importantly, it was a place full of life. That was a welcome change from the dead world Illuster had been in the end.

"Oh my… what a charming place." The sunlight glinted off Nanami's glasses as she clapped her hands together. "I cannot wait to have a look around!"

Kohaku did not share Nanami's enthusiasm. If anything, she was regarding the town in front of them with trepidation. "Right, but the Orgel…"

"We can have a good look around Seizato _and_ search for the Orgel." Nanami replied. "I would like to believe it landed somewhere around here, just as we did. Besides, Miss Aozora was right. It's best that we familiarize ourselves with this place." She looked at the taller girl, flashing her a bright smile. "So, let's go, Kohaku!"

And then Nanami took off yet again, leaving Kohaku to dash after her, as both girls ran down the hill overlooking Seizato proper and into town.

Following the path from Shooting Star took the pair into what seemed to be some sort of shopping district. Multiple stores lined the area, and many people were milling about, some purchasing items, some enjoying food, others performing deliveries. For a moment, Kohaku wanted to stop and see what sorts of goods this world dealt in, but hse quickly forgot about that in favor of a much more pressing matter - the fact that Nanami was about to crash into another girl, who was coming from the opposite direction and clearly unable to see over the two very heavy-looking grocery bags she was hefting in front of her.

"Lady Nanami, look out!"

Kohaku leapt forwards and grabbed Nanami around the waist, keeping her from careening into the other girl. A wave of silence rippled through the crowed the shopping district, and Kohaku became painfully aware that quite a few people had stopped to stare at her, Nanami, and this new stranger. Thankfully, this only lasted for a moment or two before they lost interest and went on their way.

Nanami blinked a few times in surprise before she realized what she had come close to doing and flushed beet red. "Oh dear…" As Kohaku let her go, she stepped towards the stranger, worry written all over her face. "Oh, pardon me - are you hurt?"

"Oh no, I'm fine!" The girl shifted one of her grocery bags to get a good look at the person who had nearly run into her. She was fair-skinned and stood slightly taller than Nanami, with wide, brown eyes, and a round face. Her hair was straight, shoulder-length, and mouse brown, and she wore a tan blouse, a brown plaid skirt, knee-length beige socks, and brown hiking boots. "I'm just a little shaken - I was afraid I was going to drop Yamabuki-san's groceries for a second."

Nanami looked even more cowed by that. "Oh dear… I'm glad you stopped me in time, Kohaku." she told the taller girl, who simply gave her best 'it's my job' shrug. Then, to the girl "Might you be delivering these? I would be honored to help you carry them to their destination - it is the least I can do to make up for my carelessness."

"If that's not a problem?" the girl replied. "Only if you want to, though! It wouldn't be right for me to dump my work on someone I just met!"

"It's not an issue at all!" Nanami exclaimed. "I would be happy to help!"

Nanami moved to accept one of the grocery bags from the girl… only for Kohaku to step in front of her and take it. She motioned for the other one as well, but the girl shook her head and muttered something about that not being at all fair. That clearly wasn't what Kohaku wanted to hear, but nevertheless, she backed off.

"I'll handle the heavy lifting, Lady Nanami." Kohaku said. Her manner of addressing Nanami earned a baffled glance from the girl. "Just focus on doing what you need to do."

Nanami sighed internally before moving to address the girl. "I am Nanami Nagisa, by the way." The name still felt rather alien in her mouth, but it would feel more natural with practice, she supposed. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance." She curtsied at the girl, who stared at her as if she'd done something very strange. Was that not typical here?

"I'm Amane Yamaguchi." The girl motioned the newcomers towards her before she started off, occasionally weaving around the odd passer-by, leaving Nanami to fall in step besides her, with Kohaku trailing behind. "Nice to meet you, Nagisa-san, and-"

"Kohaku Shishioh." Kohaku was staring straight ahead as the group paused at a crosswalk, Nanami dutifully studying Amane, who was waiting for the light to turn green with a few other strangers, as if the Orgel would sudden appear in front of them once again.

"Shishioh-san. Got it." Amane said, as the group crossed the crosswalk together. "Are you two new here? I don't think I've seen you around town before today."

"We are new here, yes." Nanami was occasionally casting worried glances in Kohaku's direction as the group continued down a sidewalk and ascended a set of stairs. "We're staying with Miss… with Aozora-san temporarily. Kohaku's family and my own live overseas, but we wished to study here, so she agreed to host us for the time being."

"Aozora-san is hosting you? That's unexpected. I guess you really can't predict what she'll do." Amane hummed thoughtfully as the group rounded a corner into what appeared to be a residential district before tuning to Nanami, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Oh, I know! After we drop these groceries off, want me to show you around a bit? We're not the most impressive town in Japan, but we have a fair amount to offer - and I'd love to get to know you two as well!"

Nanami looked just as enthused as Amane was at the proposition. "You would really do that for us, M- Yamaguchi-san? Thank you kindly!" A pause, then "Assuming that is alright with you, of course, Kohaku."

Kohaku just kept staring ahead as Amane led them down one of the streets in the area. "Whatever Lady Nanami wants is what I want. You know that."

Nanami sighed quietly, trying not to pay too much mind to the puzzled look Amane was shooting in the pair's direction. "I suppose it's unanimous, then."

* * *

There was another stranger present wandering uptown Seizato today. Her dull-looking dark gold eyes, one of which was obscured beneath the long bangs of her short, greenish-black hair, narrowed as she took in the sight of people milling around her. Some of them were having friendly conversations or arguments over their phones, others were eagerly chatting or arguing amongst themselves, still more were tearing their hair out over work or comforting a crying child or busying themselves with shopping. They had one thing in common - each one was caught up in their emotions.

"How disgusting."

As Tourmaline went on her way, birds seemed to be drawn to her presence by instinct, some flocking en masse in the trees and telephone poles above her, others swooping down and fluttering around her head, a crow even stopping to perch itself on her shoulder at one point, earning itself a gentle scritch on the chin from the green-haired girl, along with what appeared to be a genuine - if extremely subtle - smile, which rapidly faded once it went off on its way.

Tourmaline's current attire - a navy blazer worn over a green vest and a gold dress shirt, dark green dress pants, and navy kitten heel shoes - helped her blend in more smoothly with the people around her than her Void Clan attire would have. For the most part, none of the civilians present spared her a passing glance, outside of a handful of puzzled looks when the crow landed on her shoulder. Good. This would make it far easier to work unimpeded.

As she went along, Tourmaline's visible eye occasionally glinted, allowing her a glimpse into the hearts of those around her. Many of their Roaring Sparks were glimmering brightly enough… but none shone with the brilliance Tourmaline wanted to see in her target, bringing a scowl to her face as she rose her right hand to eye level. The gem on its back wasn't visible, not in this guise, but she could feel its presence, along with the constant low buzz of energy that Sardonyx's loaned power manifested as within said gem.

"I _will_ find a target worthy of you, Lady Sardonyx." Tourmaline whispered as she returned to canvassing for victims, wrinkling her nose at the emotional displays around her. "You'll be relieved of those worthless emotions soon enough." she muttered under her breath, voice heavy with contempt. "At least we can make them useful."

* * *

Tsubasa's muscles were not just for show, Sirius mused as they followed obediently at her heels in dog form. The owner of Shooting Star was carrying multiple shopping bags on both arms and yet, she didn't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down as she went from store to store, adding bag after bag onto her arms along the way. As the pair continued along, Tsubasa occasionally stopped to make conversation with shopkeepers, telling them about her new charges and introducing them to her "new dog, Sirius".

"Sorry about this." Tsubasa, who was now wearing a black suede jacket over her usual attire, said quietly once the two had parted ways from a fabric store in the area. "I know it's probably pretty degrading for a royal librarian, but unless you're planning to hide from my customers, I'll have to explain you _somehow_ , you know?"

"It's fine, it's fine." Sirius whispered back. "I don't ask for much, and I don't get bothered by much. That's the way to live, yes, yes. Wouldn't you agree, Miss-"

Tsubasa suddenly stopped in her tracks… before she swooned and staggered forwards, prompting Sirius to yelp in alarm and rush to her side to steady her before she could fall.

"Are you alright, Miss Aozora?!" Sirius asked her, whining quietly as Tsubasa led her off towards a nearby park bench.

"Not so loud!" Tsubasa hissed, frantically looking around to make sure nobody in the area had noticed that the dog accompanying her was talking before she sat down heavily on the bench and relieved herself of her bags for the time being. Her shoulders slouched a bit as she stared up at the sky. "Sorry, I'm just. Running on empty right now. I thought those five cups of coffee might help, but I guess this is a level of exhausted that not even Saint Caffeine can save me from."

Sirius frowned as much as a dog could. "Please don't force yourself."

"Easy for _you_ to say - you're not the one who has to do the bulk of the heavy lifting here." Tsubasa said irritably. She sighed and absently buried a hand in the thick and fluffy fur on Sirius' head. "Sorry. I'm sure that once our housekeeping's taken care of, it'll be easy street from there. But right now, it's like having to scale a mountain on a day's notice."

"We can go home and rest for today, if you want?" Sirius said, their eyes closing in contentment as Tsubasa scritched them on the head and then behind the ears.

"Yeah, no, sorry." Tsubasa gave Sirius' ears another good scritch before she stood up and stretched. "The sooner I get this done, the sooner those kids don't have to worry about their living situation. Besides, I still have muscle to spare." she added as she gathered her bags back up. "I'm gonna swing by the convenience store and pick up an energy drink. Then we can get back to work. There are a few more things I need to buy, and we need to have _that_ ready for tonight."

"Ah… if you're certain." Sirius said quietly, falling into step besides Tsubasa as she went on her way. They didn't sound very enthused about this. She didn't appear to notice.

* * *

After arriving in Seizato's residential district, Amane wasted no time in delivering groceries to the home of the "Yamabuki-san" she'd spoken of - a kindly-looking old woman, who she took a moment to introduce Nanami and Kohaku to as the latter helped her bring her groceries inside.

"Is this something you do regularly?" Nanami asked as the girls departed from her house. "She seemed to be quite familiar with you."

"It is!" Amane responded, beaming with pride. "I deliver groceries for her and several other elderly and disabled people in the area. It's a bit of an effort sometimes, but it's worth it, just to see the smile on their faces." She paused thoughtfully, then added "Which is why I'm helping you two now! Now come on!"

Now it was Nanami's turn to keep pace with someone else, as Amane led the group through Seizato's residential district. The other girl turned out to be as light on her feet as she was skilled at hauling heavy grocery bags around, once she wasn't being weighed down by the latter.

"My house is down this way." Amane indicated one of the many houses in the residential district. "Feel free to visit me whenever you want - I can always make time for the people of Seizato! Especially newcomers like you guys."

Next came uptown Seizato - "We're not a very large town," Amane explained, as she showed the group around still more buildings she considered to be of note - the local apartments, a pet store, a flower shop, a bakery, the local arcade - "but I've never minded that. I'd take a small, coastal town like ours to the big city any day. It's so peaceful, and you can't get such a beautiful view of the night sky in larger cities anyway."

Then came the local train station. "I take the train to school every morning." Amane explained. "Sorairo Academy - a junior high school for girls. There's a boys' school - Nagareboshi Academy - a block away. There's a nice hiking trail going through the woods around the area, if you're into that kind of thing. There's more to do downtown, of course. Plenty of people commute there for work, there's a small amusement park, and?" Her eyes were sparkling as the group continued on their way. "You two have to see our space museum! They have an absolutely amazing planetarium here as well - we should totally go together sometimes!"

There was one part of town Amane conspicuously avoided leading the pair towards. "That's where the real upper-crust people live." She gestured in the direction of the neighborhood in question. "You see that house on top of that one hill? Out that way? The family that lives there - the Himi family - are super rich. Their daughter, Yuzuki Himi is the student council president at my school. She's way out of everyone's league."

She didn't verbalize the notion, but for a moment, Nanami found herself wondering how Amane would feel if she knew one of the people in her company was royalty.

Then came one of the beaches near Seizato. "I love this place!" Amane said. "Sometimes, when I have a moment to myself, I come here to study, or to write, or maybe just to relax! The ocean air is great for clearing your head - and the ocean itself is great to swim in too, of course!"

Throughout the tour, Kohaku had remained silent and pensive, prompting Nanami to fall back to speak with her as Amane led the group down the beach, speaking excitedly about subjects that would normally interest the princess - namely, collecting shells and swimming in the ocean. "Is everything alright?"

"We could be using this time to look for the Orgel." Kohaku muttered. "I apologize, Lady Nanami, but how long can we really spend on this?"

Amane paused in her tracks, casting a concerned look in the pair's direction. "Is everything alright?"

"Y-yeah!" Nanami responded, before adding under her breath "It's alright! I'm sure we'll find it soon!" to Kohaku.

* * *

"Understood, Aozora-san! I'll have it ready to pick up in a few hours." the employee at the cake shop told Tsubasa, who strolled out of the shop, visibly satisfied with herself… before her shoulders slumped, partly from the added weight of the bags she had since added onto her arms and partly from the weight of the obligations she had taken on, which seemed to press heavier and heavier on her shoulders by the moment.

"Okay… I _think_ we're through." Tsubasa tried to steady herself as she fought off another wave of dizziness. " _Now_ we can head back."

"Will you be able to make it?" Sirius asked quietly as Tsubasa cut an uneven path through another street in Seizato's shopping district. "We could rest for a bit longer! I don't think those two would be happy if you pushed yourself until fainted, _especially_ Lady Ner… Nanami."

Tsubasa shrugged, as well as a woman weighed down by as many shopping bags as she'd chosen to carry at once could shrug. "Sirius, believe me, I've had worse. This is nothing at all."

Unbeknownst to Tsubasa or Sirius, a third party was watching them from her vantage point in a nearby tree - Tourmaline, still in her human disguise, along with several birds that had settled near her. Her visible eye continued to glint as she searched through the Roaring Sparks of multiple victims... and widened noticeably once it settled on the Roaring Spark inside Tsubasa's heart, which was shining with a light far more intense than any of the others. A small, wicked smile played on her lips.

" _Found you_."

Tsubasa and Sirius were still heading back towards Shooting Star, the latter occasionally having to work to keep the former from keeling over, when a strong wind suddenly blew towards them, quite nearly knocking the two of them and successfully knocking several other people off their feet.

Seconds later, the wind died down. As Tsubasa tried to regain her bearings, Sirius stepped forwards, hackles up and teeth bared at the stranger who had appeared on the heels of the wind - an oddly dressed and unsettlingly pale teenage girl with strange, glassy-looking eyes.

Without warning, Sirius leapt towards the girl in a blur of white. The girl unblinkingly swatted Sirius aside with a gust of blue wind fired from her hand, leaving them to hit the curb a few feet away with a pained whimper. Tsubasa abandoning her bags on the ground as she rushed to Sirius' side, frantically trying to make sure they were alright.

"I am Tourmaline, member of the Void Triad, and servant to Lady Sardonyx." the girl stoically informed Tsubasa and several other panicked onlookers. Then, to Tsubasa specifically "Be honored. Your petty emotions shall be used for a worthy cause."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Tsubasa snapped. Tourmaline didn't respond. Tsubasa sprang to her feet, visibly irked by the girl's lack of response. "I _said-"_

Tsubasa leapt towards the infuriatingly-silent stranger, who nonchalantly snapped her fingers, causing a ring of blue runes to appear at Tsubasa's feet. Even then, the cafe owner kept going - or she at least tried to. Unfortunately, she found herself unable to leave the circle of runes, no matter how hard she tried.

"Roaring Spark!" Tourmaline cried, extending her right hand towards the stunned Tsubasa, as the gem on its back glowed. Tsubasa's eyes widened in shock as she felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her heart, almost as if someone was trying to rip it out of her chest. "Come forth!"

As Sirius and several Seizato citizens watched in mute horror, Tsubasa cried out in pain as her Roaring Spark was ripped out. For a moment, it shone with a supernaturally brilliant light… before it rapidly turned pitch black and sunk back into her chest. The moment this happened, multiple tendrils of dark violet energy surged upwards from the circle of runes holding Tsubasa in place, rapidly surrounding her body like a warped parody of a cocoon.

The resulting sphere of dark violet energy grew larger and larger until it finally dissipated, revealing a hulking pitch-black humanoid with the same empty gold eyes as its cousins back in Illuster. Its forehead was inset with a dark blue gem, and it sported bleach blond hair chopped into a ragged bob, wore a barista's apron like Tsubasa's own over a navy sailor uniform with an unusually long skirt, and appeared to have a cannon welded to its right fist.

"Oh god… Miss Aozora?!" Sirius stared up in horror as the thing that had once been Tsubasa, which gave a loud scream of anguish before it staggered forwards.

Multiple people scattered out of the Utsuroid's way and fled the scene… or at they least attempted to do so. Many of them weakly collapsed to their knees only a few paces in, clutching at their chests as pain as dark violet energy rose off them in waves, just as it rose off the Utsuroid created from Tsubasa. Every bit of this energy went flowing towards the gem on the back of Tourmaline's hand, causing it to pulse steadily with dark violet light.

"That's right." Tourmaline chuckled dryly at the chaos unfolding before her. "Turn your worthless emotions into a fitting sacrifice for Lady Sardonyx."

She completely failed to notice Sirius fleeing the scene as quickly as their legs could carry them.

* * *

The next destination of the tour group Amane had formed was Seizato's local park... specifically, the four bronze statues in the center of said park, one that gave both Nanami and Kohaku visible pause. Said statues were four vaguely feminine figures facing on four pedestals, each facing the other, and each holding a figure to their chest. One held a flower in their hand, another held a bird, the third held a small cloud, and the fourth held a small moon.

"I have no idea what their names are, who built them, or how long they've been here." Amane explained. "Most people around town just call them the Four Maidens - they're a popular meet up spot, so I figured you should know what people are referring to as soon as possible." She cast a puzzled glance at Nanami, who was staring fixedly at said statues. "Nagisa-san, is something wrong?"

"There's nothing _wrong_ per se." Nanami responded absently. "I was simply thinking... we have something like this back home, where Kohaku and I are from. I didn't expect to see anything like it all the way over here. It's a bit uncanny."

"Oh, really?" Amane responded. "Maybe they were by the same artist?"

Kohaku wasn't participating in the conversation, and her attention was quickly drawn towards the white blur traveling rapidly towards the group. "Lady Nanami!" she hissed under her breath, drawing Nanami's attention away from the statues and towards the rapidly approaching Sirius.

Sirius, who looked more than a little spent now, opened their mouth to say something… only to close it once they noticed Amane. Instead, they offered some rather fake-sounding barks, prompting a puzzled glance from her. Nanami and Kohaku didn't really need words from Sirius, though - their frantic demeanor was enough for the girls, who exchanged glances before moving to take off together.

"My sincere apologies, Yamaguchi-san!" Nanami called behind her, offering a short, apologetic curtsy even as she and Kohaku followed Sirius. "I do hope we see each other again soon!"

And then they were gone, leaving a very baffled Amane to her own devices.

* * *

The shopping district of Seizato looked like a miniature warzone when Nanami, Kohaku, and Sirius arrived. Multiple bodies dotted the area - still alive, as Nanami quickly determined from the soft noises of pain them were making but judging by that, the dark violet energy that was constantly rising off them, and the fact that the color seemed to be drained more and more from their forms by the moment, they were still in a horrible state.

Tourmaline, who was balanced on a nearby tree branch, sniffed in disgust the second she noticed Nanami and Kohaku's arrival. "Oh, it's you two."

Nanami barely seemed to notice Tourmaline - her focus was on the monster wearing the apron, which was blindly staggering through the shopping district. The monster wearing the very familiar-looking apron. "Aozora-san?"

Tourmaline looked nothing short of delighted at this development. "Oh, was she a friend of yours, princess? That makes this even better - consider this your punishment for not surrendering to me back in Illuster." Then, to the monster she'd created "Crush them, Utsuroid!"

The Utsuroid created from Tsubasa gave a low moan as it rounded on the pair, prompting Sirius to nod to Nanami and Kohaku before withdrawing to a safe distance.

Kohaku pulled out her Roaring Compact, a resolute look on her face as she looked at the Utsuroid and then back at Nanami. "Sirius has the right idea, Lady Nanami. Withdraw to safety for the time being - I'll take care of this."

Nanami refused to budge. "I told you the first time we transformed - I wouldn't dream of letting you fight alone!" Kohaku opened her mouth to protest, but Nanami had already pulled out her Roaring Compact as well, drawing a resigned sigh from the other girl. "Let's go, Kohaku!"

"Medal, set! Pretty Cure, Roaring Rebirth!"

Once more, the two girls were surrounded by a huge, multicolored sphere of light while they transformed. While this stunned the Utsuroid momentarily, Tourmaline seemed more annoyed by the light show unfolding before her than anything else.

"Guardian of the ocean that blooms with life! Blossom Knight, Cure Delphinus!"

"Guardian of the wind that sweeps through the plains! Tempest Knight, Cure Leo!"

"The two of us are Pretty Cure!" Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo chorused.

"Those who cruelly meddle with the hearts of others-" Cure Leo said, pointing a finger at Tourmaline.

"We'll put a stop to your actions at once!" Cure Delphinus said, following suit.

Leo was left blinking in shock at the tail end of her speech. "That again…" she said, seconds before she and Delphinus were nearly flattened by the Utsuroid's bare fist. Leo managed to shove Delphinus away before she could get hit. Unfortounately, she wasn't quite as lucky herself and took a blow hard enough to send her flying backwards a fair distance.

"Leo!" Delphinus shouted, springing towards her partner just in time to pull her out of the way of another attack. Leo looked… a bit less than enthused by this, but nevertheless joined Delphinus in springing away from the Utsuroid's wildly aimed assaults, as the two Cures searched for an opening to attack. "Siri… is this really Aozora-san?"

"That's right!" Sirius' hackles were raised as they took in the fight before them. "It was definitely her until a few moments ago!"

Without warning, the Utsuroid reared back, grabbing at its head with both hands, drawing a baffled reaction from the Cures and Tourmaline alike. "I…" it started, its voice vaguely recognizable as Tsubasa's but horribly distorted-sounding, as if she was speaking through heavy static.

"Utsuroid, what are you _doing?_ " Tourmaline hissed.

The Utsuroid didn't appear to hear her - it jerked backwards, its body going rigid for a moment, before it rounded on Delphinus and Leo, firing salvos of punches at the two girls who were forced to scramble around rapidly to dodge its blows. "I can't handle this! A dumb punk like me, caring for two kids like them? How could I do anything but let them down?!"

"Could this be how Aozora-san truly feels about us?" wondered Delphinus, who was clearly troubled by what she was hearing.

The Utsuroid suddenly went rigid again, giving Delphinus and Leo a chance to catch their breath and search for an opening to attack the giant before them. "A guardian? An ally of justice? After everything I've pulled? What a joke!" it cried. "The only thing I've ever been good for is making coffee!" The Utsuroid jerked forwards again, aiming the cannon on its hand at the two Cures as the gem on its forehead glowed. "All I've ever been good for-"

Now it was Leo's turn to push Delphinus out of danger, sending her and her fellow Cure flying out of the way, moments before an outsize cup of scalding-hot, fragrant-smelling liquid exploded dangerously close to where the duo was seconds prior.

"Could this be-" Delphinus started as she levered herself off the ground.

"-coffee?" Leo finished, right before the Utsuroid, fired several more salvos of scalding coffee at the pair, the gem on its forehead glowing each time it did so.

Many of these salvos were far too wildly-aimed to hit their targets, instead splattering against and visibly scalding trees, the pavement, nearby buildings, and benches. Still more were diverted off-course by Delphinus herself, who fired high pressure jets of water at the coffee projectiles she wasn't finding herself having to dodge or being pulled away from by Leo, who hardly seeemed to care that she was putting herself in danger of being injured.

Tourmaline didn't seem particularly impressed with her oppnents. "So, this is what had my brother running scared." she sniffed. "How pathetic - they hardly seem worth dirtying my hands with."

Before the Utsuroid could fire any more salvos of hot coffee, Delphinus' vivid pink eyes widened as she took note of the monster's forehead gem. "Leo… I believe the gem on its forehead may be the source of its power." She fixed the other girl with a determined glance, even as the two sprang out of the way of another salvo of coffee, leaving a shower of pink and orange sparkles in their wake as they touched down onto the ground side-by side. "Are you ready?" She extended her palms in front of her. "You should be fine as long as I remain here to draw its attention."

Leo didn't seem entirely at home with this plan… but nevertheless, she nodded. "Understood, Lady Delphinus." she said dutifully before allowing her fellow Cure to boost her upwards. This time, she handled her high flight into the air and subsequent descent with quite a bit more grace, her cape flaring out elegantly behind her as she touched down on the Utsuroid's shoulder in a shower of orange sparkles. It groaned in irritation and moved to swat her off with its free hand, only to wince in pain as a ball of pink water struck it directly on the chest.

"Forget about Leo, Aozora-san!" Delphinus called, staring defiantly at the Utsuroid as she shot another ball of water in its direction. "I'm the one you have business with!" It took the bait, throwing a punch, then a blast of coffee, then another punch at Delphinus, who dodged and weaved around its clumsy, widely aimed blows, and shot more blasts of water in its direction each time she sensed an opening. "It's my fault for troubling you to begin with!"

Tourmaline stared blankly at the display unfolding before her, no more impressed than she had been before. "What are you hoping to accomplish here? You can't return your countrymen to normal without that precious 'Rainbow Melody' of yours… so why do you think you'll do any better with your precious 'Aozora-san' here? How do you know you won't end up killing her?"

Tourmaline's question froze Delphinus in her tracks - just long enough for the Utsuroid to lunge forwards and crush her beneath its fist.

"Delphinus!" Sirius cried. They scrambled towards the scene of the battle without heed for their own safety.

Leo's eyes were wide with horror. "Lady Nerissa!" She did not notice the Utsuroid preparing to throw her off its shoulder. How could she? All she could think about was how she should have told Delphinus no, she wouldn't let her play decoy like that, that she shouldn't have let Delphinus transform in the first place, that she really was such a stupid, worthless excuse for a bodyguard to once again-

And then the Utsuroid suddenly froze in shock.

Delphinus, shaken but very much alive, was lifting the Utsuroid's fist up off the ground, her form blazing with pink energy all the while. The effort was straining her terribly, but she was slowly but surely succeeding.

"Maybe saving Aozora-san is a risky prospect... but so was escaping from Illuster! I couldn't give up then, and I will not give up now! I'll keep fighting for Aozora-san, who kindly took us in! And I'll keep fighting for all the other people your cruel actions have harmed! For their sake... I will not give up!" Delphinus gave a sharp cry of exertion as she gave the Utsuroid a rough shove, sending it backwards a short distance and allowing herself to get out from underneath its fist. "Leo!"

"Understood!" the suddenly reinvigorated Leo said as she ran up the Utsuroid's arm and towards its head. As if responding to some subconscious wish of hers, the diamond ornament on the back of one of her gloves glowed orange, and an orange blade made of sparkling lightning appeared in her hand. "Here goes nothing!"

Leo aimed a leaping slash at the gem on the Utsuroid's forehead, which cracked, sending it reeling backwards before it could retaliate against Delphinus. Leo leapt off its shoulder as the Utsuroid hit the ground heavily and took her place by her fellow Cure's side.

"Delphinus, Leo!" Sirius called as the two girls faced down the prone Utsuroid. "Pretty Cure's powers are based around purification! I'm not sure if they can save Aozora-san, but we need to try! Focus and gather the power in your hearts - the words should come to you from there!"

"I have it!" Delphinus said. "Pretty Cure! Blossom Cascade!" The flower ornament on the back of her right glove glowed more brightly than before as a swirling stream of sparkling pink water, intermixed with energy-based pink petals, leapt from her palm.

Leo dutifully followed suit. "Pretty Cure! Tempest Fang!" The diamond ornament on the back of her right glove glowed more brightly than before as an audibly crackling and vaguely blade-like orange bolt of lightning leapt from her palm.

The two attacks converged and hit the Utsuroid, causing the gem on its forehead to shatter to pieces as its form began to glow.

"So warm…" it said quietly, as multicolored energy came off it in waves and flowed towards Delphinus and Leo's Roaring Compacts, causing them to glow intensely as they took in said energy. As this went on, its form grew smaller and smaller, until it had resolved back into the prone form of Tsubasa Aozora, whose now pristine Roaring Spark sunk back into her chest as she was deposited gently on the ground.

Sirius snapped to attention and scrambled to Tsubasa's side. "She's okay!" they called. "Unconscious, but okay!"

"Thank goodness..." Delphinus said, as color appeared to return to the forms of the numerous people who had been affected by Tsubasa's Utsuroid. "We actually-"

Before she could finish that sentence, Leo leapt in front of her, atempting to deflect the multiple wind-based arrows that had been shot in her direction with her cape. She didn't succeed in deflecting all of them, wincing in pain as one arrow caught her across the shoulder and another one grazed her chest.

"You…" Tourmaline hissed, visibly seething as she faced the two of them down, crossbow at the ready. "How dare you interfere with Lady Sardonyx's plans!" She prepared to attack the pair again, only to freeze as Sardonyx's voice suddenly rang loud and clear in her mind.

 _Tourmaline - you've gathered a sufficient amount of negative energy. Fall back for now._

Tourmaline 'tch'ed in annoyance as she continued to stare her opponents down, her form trembling with rage. "Consider yourselves lucky." she sneered. "Just know that we, the Void Clan, shall never forgive you for your transgressions!" She vanished, leaving an upward gust of wind in her wake.

"As if we'd want the forgiveness of scum like yourselves." Leo sniffed disdainfully before she staggered forwards and collapsed to her knees in exhaustion, reverting to Kohaku in the process.

Delphinus reverted to Nanami as well, as the damage inflicted by the two's fight as Pretty Cure faded away yet again. "You didn't have to-"

"Yes, I did." Kohaku hauled herself onto her feet. "I'm your bodyguard. A tool who exists to protect you. Even if the two of us are Pretty Cure, that will never change." Before Nanami could open her mouth to protest, she added "We need to get Aozora-san to safety, Lady Nanami. That's what matters more than anything else right now, correct?"

"That is correct, yes." Nanami said. Her heart was not entirely in her words. If Kohaku noticed, she gave no indication.

* * *

In the end, Kohaku had ended up carrying Tsubasa's very large collection of shopping bags back to Shooting Star. The task of escorting the still rather groggy Tsubasa, who fell to Nanami, and then, as the group drew closer to Shooting Star, Sirius, who shifted back into their humanoid form… and only because the two had convinced Kohaku that she shouldn't have been carrying all those bags and supporting Tsubasa.

"So, what was that energy that flowed into our Roaring Compacts, Siri?" Nanami asked Sirius as the group headed home. "Might that be what the Rainbow Melody is comprised of?"

"That sounds about right, yes, yes." Sirius said. "The Rainbow Melody _was_ said to be comprised of the light in others' hearts… so I guess fighting those Void Clan types might be the key to getting the Orgel filled back up again."

Kohaku's eyes darkened visibly at that one, sending Nanami's heart sinking even further.

By the time the group arrived at Shooting Star, Tsubasa was back to consciousness, or something close to it. She'd muttered something about how no one else present had the keys, oh my god, you ridiculous kids, before she'd - clumsily - unlocked the door and the group had ended up back inside, leaving her to collapse into one of the cafe chairs.

"God…" She stared half-dazedly at the very concerned trio of people sitting near her. "I did end up fainting after all, didn't I?"

"You did, unfortunately." Sirius said. "Actually, it went a little bit beyond that. You see-"

Tsubasa listened attentively as Sirius explained what had happened, her face falling as they launched into the specifics of their fight against her Utsuroid, particularly what it had ended up shouting during its confrontation with Delphinus and Leo.

"I apologize, Aozora-san." Nanami said quietly, eyes cast down the table. "As I said before, if we're troubling you, I'll gladly-"

Tsubass stood up and motioned the two girls towards her. Once they approached, she pulled them into a tight hug.

"I want to do this." she said quietly. "Regardless of what my id said back there, I'm a woman of my word." She pulled back from her charges, her eyes misting slightly. "Yes, some part of me felt that way, sure. And yeah, some part of me still feels that way. But I meant what I said before. Besides…" she said flashing a tearful smile. "I know what it's like, feeling like you have nowhere else to go. I wouldn't put anyone else through that."

Nanami had to take off her glasses, lest they end up fogging up from the tears that were also welling in her eyes - only to do a double-take at Tsubasa, who had suddenly switched gears from sentimentality to mild panic. "Aozora-san?"

"Crap, crap, crap!" Tsubasa hissed, frantically running a hand through her hair. "Er... sorry to ruin the mood, but could you kids head outside for just a bit longer?"

Looks were exchanged between Nanami and Kohaku. "Er… wh-what?" the two chorused.

Before either girl could say anything else, Tsubasa was nearly pushing them out the door of Shooting Star. "Just for like, two more hours! Go look for that Orgel of yours or something, okay? I promise I'll be alright!"

Suddenly, Nanami and Kohaku found themselves back outside of Shooting Star, visibly reeling as the door shut behind them.

Kohaku blinked in surprise. "What a strange woman. She has a point, though. The sooner we find the Orgel, the easier we can rest."

* * *

When Nanami and Kohaku finally returned to Shooting Star after wandering Seizato for a while longer, the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon, causing the ocean surrounding Seizato to glimmer beautifully in multiple colors. Neither girl was in much of a mood to appreciate it, given their lack of success in locating the Orgel.

"Still no sign of the Orgel." Kohaku averted her gaze from Nanami as the other girl knocked on the door to Shooting Star. "I wonder if we'll ever find it in time."

"We will." Nanami was trying not to sound as dispirited and frustrated as she felt. Anything to lift Kohaku's spirits, given everything that had happened today... and everything her fellow Cure had told her on the heels of their latest battle, words that ate at her like acid even now.

No one responded when Nanami knocked on Shooting Star's door. She hesitated slightly before opening it and stepping inside into the now very dark coffee shop, followed closely by Kohaku… right as the lights switched back on.

"Happy birthday!" Tsubasa and Sirius chorused.

The owner of Shooting Star and the royal librarian of Illuster stood next to a beautiful two-layered white cake, which was seated on one of the cafe tables and decorated with pale pink "sand" made from sugar and numerous seashells and starfish sculpted out of fondant. Several pink and white ocean-themed plates and plastic implements sat nearby, as did a tub of fruit-flavored sherbet and an ice-cream scoop. As for the cafe itself, Tsubasa had decorated each table with a display of pink paper flowers and a collection of balloons, some of which were pink, cream, and fuchsia rubber, others were pink mylar and displayed "14 today!" in glittering pink letters.

"I know this is nothing compared to what you must've had back home, Nanami." Tsubasa said. "But… I couldn't stop thinking about what you said last night, about all that awful stuff going down on the day of your birthday, and I wanted to make it up to you."

"So, I did my best to help her pick out something you would like." Sirius added. "I am very, very sorry for keeping it from you and Kohaku, Lady Nanami… but Aozora-san really wanted to surprise you, so-"

If holding back tears was hard for Nanami earlier, it was downright impossible now. The princess held her composure for a moment or two as she removed her glasses with trembling hands... and then she broke down crying.

"Lady Nanami?" Kohaku asked, placing a concerned hand on her princess' shoulder.

"I'm perfectly fine!" Nanami said between sobs of joy. "I'm just... I wasn't expecting such a generous gesture! Thank you so much, Aozora-san, Siri!"

Tsubasa shook her head. "'Tsubasa' is fine, since we'll be living together for a while. From now on, you two can think of me as your big sis, okay?" She sighed in exasperation at the glances shared between Nanami and Kohaku. "Well, better that than your mom or your aunt, right? I mean, sheesh, I'm only twenty-three. In any case," she added, her tone softening as she offered the pair of teenage girls she'd taken on as her charges a warm smile "welcome home, you two."

Nanami returned a warm smile of her own. "Glad to be here."


	3. Episode Three

**Episode Three** : Our Roaring School Debut!

* * *

Tsubasa woke up to the sound of someone milling about in the kitchen of Shooting Star early in the morning. For a moment, she was abuzz with fearful adrenaline, but then she fully returned to wakefulness. She sighed heavily as she sat up in bed, mentally tellng herself for still not fully having adjusted to everything that had happened a few days ago.

"Sheesh… looks like I have a way to go." she muttered as she massaged her temples. True, even a couple days after the fact, it was a struggle to adapt to a new routine and a new set of priorities, but. She had to try. She owed those kids that. And speaking of new routines…

Once Tsubasa descended the stairs, she found Kohaku in the kitchen of Shooting Star, her eyes flicking up and down in time with the latest addition to a large and very delicious-smelling stack of pancakes as she flipped it into the air and let it land onto the pan. That was to be expected - Kohaku had basically appointed herself the household chef after they'd officially settled in at Shooting Star, and Tsubasa had quickly realized that there was no point debating her about it.

Kohaku's attire wasn't a surprise either, considering what today was. She was wearing the uniform of Sorairo Academy - a navy blazer with a white-striped sailor collar and cuffs, worn over a white turtleneck shirt, with a navy and white plaid pleated skirt. Kohaku had paired her uniform with bike shorts underneath said skirt, white socks, and red and white sneakers… and her sword, which was held in the sheath she currently had slung across her back.

"Really?" Tsubasa groused as she stepped into the kitchen. Distracting Kohaku didn't even cross her mind - once the girl had set her mind on a task, she was nigh-impossible to distract anyway. "Why do you keep trying to bring that damn thing with you?"

Kohaku's focus on the pancakes didn't waver, even as she responded to Tsubasa. "If we have to go into unknown territory, I need to be ready to protect Lady Nanami at a moment's notice… and my blade is _much_ better suited to that need than the powers of Pretty Cure are."

"You're going to _school_."

"Like I said, unknown territory."

Tsubasa sighed heavily. "I get your concern, but you're going to get kicked out of Sorairo if you take that thing in there. I asked you to stay out of trouble, didn't I? It's a wonder I got you enrolled to begin with. Please don't blow it."

Kohaku was stonily silent for a moment. Tsubasa wasn't sure if she was focused on the pancakes - one of which she forcibly slowed the trajectory of once it threatened to splat on the ceiling, causing it to briefly glow orange, a sight the cafe owner was too resigned to comment on - or if she was sulking or both, but finally she replied.

"Noted. I'll put it away after I'm finished cooking breakfast."

"Thanks, Kohaku. I really do mean it." Tsubasa's eyes flicked to the clock on the wall, noting that it was about time to open, before she added "You know, Sorairo's got a pretty good fencing teams. If you like swords that much, you'll fit right in."

Kohaku gave no verbal response, but Tsubasa wanted to at least think she'd taken her suggestion into account. Thus, she made her way upstairs to wake up her other charge.

* * *

Nanami was now wearing Sorairo's uniform as well, having paired brown dress shoes and white knee-length socks with hers. She had been a bit groggy when she had first descended the stairs - when Kohaku had asked her if she was alright, she had muttered something about dreams before quickly changing the subject to the matter of the pancakes Kohaku had made. That was the taller girl's cue to quit pushing the issue. She had no right to badger her princess.

By the time both girls were settled in and eating breakfast, their school bags seated beside the stools they were perched on, Tsubasa had opened up shop. A decent number of customers filtered in while the Cures ate breakfast. Many took a moment to stare at Nanami and Kohaku, stare at Tsubasa, or stare at both.

"These are lovely, Kohaku!" Nanami said as she eagerly tucked into her pancakes. "Of course, that is to be expected - your cooking is always superb."

Kohaku looked down at her own plate of pancakes in a bid to hide how badly her face had flushed. "Thank you, Lady Nanami. I hope your lunch proves enjoyable as well."

Tsubasa had hit a lull in coffee orders for the time being, allowing her to slide over to where Nanami and Kohaku were sitting, dropping her voice to where only they could hear it. "Do you two know where Sirius is? I couldn't find them anywhere this morning."

Nanami looked around before speaking up, her own voice barely above a whisper. "Siri went out early, a bit before you woke up - they told me they want to try to help us locate the Celestial Orgel, since Kohaku and I will be a bit occupied today."

"Sorry to interrupt, Tsubasa, but I'm in a bit of a hurry."

Tsubasa abandoned whatever she was going to say to Nanami in favor of seeing to the customer who had just spoken up - a fair-skinned young woman with short, black hair and amber eyes. She was clad in a navy business suit, was carrying a rather overfull messenger bag, and looked more than a bit pressed for time. Like many of the customers who had come in this morning, she was also staring at Tsubasa.

"You too, Kei?" As Tsubasa spoke, she busied herself with preparing Kei's order. There was no need to ask what she wanted - Kei always requested the same thing. As Tsubasa worked, Kei continued staring at her, prompting the cafe owner to pause mid-task. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No, that's not it." Kei sighed, pressing two fingers to her temple. "There have been… rumors about you going around. Have you heard them?"

"Consider who you're talking to." Tsubasa fired back, as she continued to prepare Kei's coffee. "You'll have to be more specific than that."

"Point taken." Kei deadpanned before she lowered her voice, leaving both Nanami and Kohaku to strain to listen in. "Anyway… people are claiming you had your soul ripped out and were turned into a monster. A few insisted that a superhero? Two superheroes? Their stories were a mess - showed up afterward."

Tsubasa, who did not miss the looks shared between Nanami and Kohaku, looked thoroughly unamused. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." As she poured the coffee she'd brewed into a to-go cup, she added "I'm clearly still human, aren't I?"

"As far as I can tell." Kei responded with a wry smile, drawing a snort out of Tsubasa. "I just thought it was odd, having several sensible adults coming to me with similar bizarre stories." As Tsubasa handed Kei her coffee she added "They would have been better with mecha involved. A giant monster, but no mecha? What's the point?" Her delivery was utterly no-nonsense, despite the content of her words. "Anyway, thanks for the coffee. I'll need it, with how things have been at the office."

"I guess that explains the staring." Tsubasa said once Kei had left. "With how things are… I suppose that's one more addition to the Legend of Tsubasa Aozora." She laughed dryly to herself before adding "Shouldn't you two be going soon? You can make it to the station with time to spare if you leave now."

"Duly acknowledged." Nanami pushed her now-empty plate away from her before she gingerly slid off the stool and onto her feet, picking up her school bag. "Well then, Kohaku and I will be off - see you later!"

Nanami offered a small curtsy to the cafe owner as she headed to the door, Kohaku following obediently at her heels with far more reluctance than usual.

"See ya!" Tsubasa called. "Make sure to go easy on Meg, okay?"

The two girls exchanged puzzled glances at the mention of this 'Meg' before they concluded it was better not to waste time asking and took off together.

"Are those the charges you keep talking about, Aozora-san?" an older woman seated at one of the tables inquired. "They're pretty cute kids."

"So they are." Tsubasa glanced after the pair as they departed. "Just hope they can stay out of trouble." She meant that in more ways than one.

* * *

The Void Triad was not out gathering negative energy at present. No, the three siblings had been tackling a very different assignment from Sardonyx as of late - cleaning up the Citadel. The chaotic state it had been elft in made for borderline unlivable conditions, Sardonyx had claimed, and she would not be happy until it was at least presentable.

It was a very dull and horribly tedious task. But Selenite would not dare open her mouth to complain. Not to Sardonyx, because what were the words of a servant to their master, and certainly not to Tourmaline, because her sister ate, slept, and breathed Sardonyx's orders.

Complaining to Agate wasn't an option either… because her brother was out cold, snoring audibly as he laid draped over a nearby armchair in a position that was going to leave him with a horribly stiff neck and back down the line. Not that Selenite could criticize him for that one. He'd at least asked her if she'd be alright before he passed out like that.

Selenite was in one of the newly-tidied sitting rooms, stepping back and examining her handiwork when Tourmaline entered. Her expression was perfectly unreadable… if you were anyone else but Selenite. She could easily tell that something was eating at her twin.

"You couldn't find her?" Selenite asked, tilting her head slightly as she addressed Tourmaline.

Tourmaline averted her eyes in response. "No. I scoured this castle thoroughly, but there's no sign of Lady Sardonyx anywhere. Nowhere that I can access anyway…"

"Oh… that one bedroom upstairs, huh. The one she sealed off." Tourmaline nodded, leading Selenite to approach her twin and gently pat her on the shoulder. "I'm sure it's nothing personal, Tourmaline. You're pretty much Lady Sardonyx's favorite."

Tourmaline didn't respond for several moments. When she did speak, her voice sounded slightly strained. "Lady Sardonyx hardly looked at me when I presented her with the negative energy I gathered. I don't know if it even helped her." She tensed slightly. "If those two hadn't gotten in my way-"

"It'll be okay!" Selenite gave her twin a gentle pat on the shoulder. Tourmaline didn't seem to notice. "Lady Sardonyx probably has other things on her mind. Maybe the mess in the castle was getting to her?" She gestured vaguely around the room. "Does it look better now?"

"I guess." Tourmaline said as she gently pulled away from Selenite. "Save for… you know." she added, inclining her head in the direction of Agate, who had yet to so much as stir. "I can't believe he left you to work all alone."

"Oh, it's fine." Selenite said. "Big bro said he was getting tired, so I told him I'd be okay on my own for a bit. I don't mind. Working keeps me from thinking about… things."

Tourmaline looked utterly unimpressed by Selenite's explanation. "That's no excuse. We no longer need to sleep, Selenite."

"I still don't mind, really!" Selenite insisted. "Hm. I wonder if big bro was like that… you know. Before. Maybe that's why?"

Tourmaline sighed heavily at that one. Were it up to her, all talk of the Time Before - before all within the Kingdom of Crystals were relieved of their Roaring Sparks, before she and her siblings had woken up in these cold, alien-feeling bodies, with little in the way of memories, before the three of them had been set on a mission to redeem existence - would be verboten. But it wasn't up to her. Sure, Agate didn't care about it or anything, but Selenite would obsess over it endlessly if you let her.

"Does it matter?" Tourmaline asked, visibly taking the wind out of Selenite's sails. "We will never get those days back. We will never get those memories back. Clinging to what will never exist again will only impede your usefulness to Lady Sardonyx, Selenite."

"Noted." There was a hint of gloom in Selenite's usual airy tone. The twins stood there in near-silence, save for the sounds of Agate's snoring, before she added "Um… would it be alright if I gathered negative energy today? Even if Sardonyx isn't here? I'd like to be useful... and get a better idea of what we're dealing with."

"I did promise you could go after me." Tourmaline said. "And I don't think Lady Sardonyx would appreciate it if we simply stood around and waited for her to tell us when we could leave. Better to be proactive than follow his example."

Selenite cast a concerned glance in her brother's direction. "Should we wake him up? I really feel like I should ask him if he wants to go instead."

Tourmaline scoffed at the very notion. "If Agate wants to pass up his chance to prove himself useful to Lady Sardonyx, who are we to stop him?" She patted her twin on the shoulder encouragingly. "Go on, Selenite. Make Lady Sardonyx proud."

"Will do, Tourmaline." As Selenite spoke, a circle of silver runes appeared at her feet. And then she disappeared, leaving a shower of sparkling silver light in her wake.

* * *

Sirius was waiting by Seizato's train station when Nanami and Kohaku arrived. For once, they were out in public in their humanoid form, although they had been forced to resort to hiding their ears and tail with the help of a newsboy cap and a coat, both of which clashed rather jarringly with their white suit. They were leaning casually against the front of the train station trying to look as inconspicuous as possible… and failing, judging by the whispers and stares they were attracting from passerby.

"Good morning, Siri." Nanami curtsied politely to the librarian. "Wish us luck today - we shall be off to our first day of school soon."

Kohaku, who clearly wasn't feeling anywhere near the same amount of enthusiasm as her princess was, simply offered Sirius a mumbled "hello".

"Good luck, both of you." Sirius was beaming as proudly as a parent sending their kids off to kindergarten. "I'm certain it'll be quite the change from the private tutoring you're used to - but I'm also certain you'll both do wonderfully, yes, yes! And I'll be certain to work hard myself!"

"Right…" Kohaku cast an anxious glance at the number of girls, many of which were also wearing Sorairo uniforms, that were filing into the train station. "How is the progress on the search for the Orgel?"

"It's… getting there." Sirius sighed. "I've isolated a few points where it could be, using the concentration of mana in the area as a benchmark, but without combing every single one of those points thoroughly, I wouldn't be sure to say which one is the right one. At least I'm… ninety-nine percent sure it's in this town, and in a place we can access! So please, please don't worry too much! And Kohaku?"

"Hmm?"

"Lady Nanami seems to have taken off without you."

Kohaku immediately gave up asking further about the Orgel and dashed off after her princess yet again.

* * *

Nanami was not at all nervous about the idea of attending school for the first time in her life. In fact, she was quite excited about it. She was no stranger to making nice with people she barely knew, and since they wouldn't know she was royalty, it would be even easier. And while she had never actually attended school, being a princess who could readily afford private tutors, she had been quite taken with school life as portrayed in the many books she had read.

And then Nanami had fallen in with the crowd of Sorairo students, and she felt a slight gnawing at the pit of her stomach, which only grew in intensity as she paid her fare and drew closer to the train station stairs. Oh dear… maybe she was a bit nervous. A bit. But surely not as nervous as-

"Lady Nanami!"

Nanami wheeled around to meet a rather frantic-looking Kohaku.

"Oh dear… I'm so sorry, Kohaku! I thought you were following after me!"

Kohaku shook her head. "No, Lady Nanami, I should be the one apologizing for taking my eyes off of you, especially given where we're about to venture." She frowned, having noticed the slightly spaced-out look in Nanami's eyes. "Are you alright?"

Nanami waved off Kohaku's concern as she started off again, making the taller girl keep pace with her as they descended the stairs. "Of course I'm alright. I'm just thinking of how to go about with those introductions Tsubasa-san talked about. It's quite important, since we're-"

Clearly, what Nanami should have been thinking about was the possibility of stumbling while she was descending the train station stairs, because that was exactly what happened. Nanami's mind seized in panic as her foot caught on one step, and several bystanders give a shout of alarm before she was sent flying forwards.

Immediately, Kohaku snapped to attention. Before Nanami could hit the ground, she ran down the stairs with lightning speed and caught the princess in her arms.

"Lady Nanami, are you okay?"

"I… believe so." Nanami was still visibly rattled by what had happened, and once she realized that a number of people, many of them Sorairo students, were staring at them, she flushed red. "Please put me down, Kohaku." she whispered. Kohaku obliged, albeit reluctantly.

One of the Sorairo students who had stopped to gawk was applauding the show Nanami and Kohaku had unintentionally put on in a manner bombastic enough to draw more stares, along with some amused giggling out of several passing-by schoolgirls.

" _Bravissimo_! What a gorgeous display!" exalted the newcomer. She was tall and androgynous, with heavily tanned skin, bright blue eyes, short and wavy strawberry-blond hair, and leggings under her skirt. "And what a nice save! That little lady is lucky to have a gallant sort like you!" The last bit was clearly aimed at Kohaku, who was visibly weirded out by her behavior. "I… I haven't seen either of you before! Could I get a name?"

Nanami, still more than a bit rattled, but never one to be impolite, was about to answer when another voice sounded behind her.

"Nagsisa-san! Shishioh-san!" Amane Yamaguchi was running at full tilt towards the pair, her eyes visibly sparkling as she approached them. "Oh my gosh, we _are_ going to the same school! I'm so happy!"

"Oho? Are these two friends of yours, Yama-chi?" the redhead inquired.

"Something like that!" Amane chirped as she inserted herself between Nanami and Kohaku. "I'll explain later, Asahina-senpai - right now, we need to hurry so we don't miss our train!"

" _Le mot juste_ , Yama-chi! I guess it'll have to wait." said Asahina. "Well, then - _arrivederci!"_ She took off running, leaving Amane, Nanami, and Kohaku to hurry after her, lest they miss their train as well.

"She was weird." Kohaku said quietly.

"Yes, the sun is a bit of a character." Amane's rather odd term of address drew a quizzical glance from Nanami and Kohaku. "But she's nice to have on your side - kind of like I am, come to think of it! Man, I hope we're in the same class - then I'll really be able to give you my full support!"

"Asahina-san was right, you know." Nanami said as the group reached the train that would take them to downtown Seizato, Amane very blatantly taking point. "I am quite lucky to have you."

"I guess…" Kohaku was clearly trying to swallow her annoyance with Amane dragging the pair along. "As long as I can be useful to you, Lady Nanami."

* * *

Amane talked Nanami and Kohaku's ear off during their train ride to Sorairo Academy. Nanami found her bondless enthusiasm quite fun to listen to, but Kohaku spent the entire train ride staring fixedly out one of the windows and occasionally throwing the odd noise of acknowledgement in response to Amane's excited stream of rambling.

Amane stuck to the Cures like glue as at the front gate of Sorairo Academy, a stately-looking set of gray brick buildings with dark blue roofs and a clock tower in the forefront. The bell in the clock tower chimed as numerous Sorairo students made them way down the elaborate tree-lined brick path that led to the school entrance. As the three stepped through the front gate, a limousine pulled up in front.

As Amane and Pretty Cure watched, a chaffeur exited the limousine before opening the passenger door. A tall, willowy, and fair-skinned girl, clad in Sorairo's uniform, stepped out of the limousine, and three nearby girls immediately flocked to her side, as if she exuded a magnetic pull. Her long, purplish-black hair caught the sun beautifully as she made her way towards the school, carrying herself with the practiced ease of a noblewoman, and her light grey eyes seemed to hold small storms within them.

"Oh!" said Amane, the moment she'd noticed the girl. "Remember Yuzuki Himi? The richest girl in town? Our student council president? That's her." She took a deep breath and added "And... since I'm kind of involved with the student council, I need to consult with her for a bit. Goodbye for now!"

And with that, Amane was off to consult with Yuzuki. She could barely maintain eye contact with the other girl, and was attracting resentful glares from the three girls who were hanging around the student council president. That left Kohaku alone with Nanami, who seemed almost hypnotized by Yuzuki's presence.

"Lady Nanami?"

"What a beautiful girl." Nanami said as she stared after Yuzuki, who was quietly consulting with Amane. The former maintained her distance from the latter as they walked towards Sorairo's main building, as if she feared she would melt should she get too close. "She's just like a princess."

"Lady Nanami, you _are_ a princess." Kohaku said as the pair headed towards the main building themselves.

"I simply meant..." She noticed Kohaku staring at her quizzically and shook her head. "Never mind. Let's be off, Kohaku."

* * *

The "Meg" Tsubasa had referred to turned out to be Megumi Aozora, the homeroom teacher of Class 2-B. She was a rather tired-looking woman who stood just a bit shorter than her sister, who she shared her royal blue eye color with. She was dressed smartly in a slate gray skirt suit with a navy dress shirt, and her hair was long, straight, and chestnut brown in color.

"So, you're the charges my older sister keeps talking about." Megumi told Nanami and Kohaku once they met up before class. "I hope you're going easy on her. Looking after kids seems a little beyond Tsubasa. But you didn't hear that from me."

Once Class 2-B was in session, Nanami and Kohaku found themselves standing outside in the hallway as Megumi addressed the members of the class.

"Today, we'll be gaining two new transfer students." Megumi informed the numerous girls seated at the desks in front of her.

The news sent a wave of whispering through the classroom. Two girls in particular - one chubby and bespectacled, with hazel eyes and brown hair pulled into a side tail, the other small and lithe, with short lime-green hair and red eyes - were noisily consulting between themselves, while Amane was practically bouncing up and down in her seat.

Megumi cleared her throat in annoyance, leading the class to quiet back down. "Anyway, why don't you two introduce yourselves?"

Nanami and Kohaku stepped into the room, and a storm of even more excited whispering followed in their wake ('Oh my gosh, she's tall!', 'She's really cute!', 'Wow, handsome!'), only seeming to grow in intensity with Megumi's repeated efforts to quiet it. Nanami hesitated in front of the blackboard for a moment, before remembering what Tsubasa had told her earlier and writing her name on said blackboard in ornate-looking script. Kohaku, who looked more than a bit ill at ease, promptly followed suit ('Shishioh? What a wild surname'), her own handwriting quite neat but far simpler than Nanami's.

"Good day to all of you." Nanami curtsied politely, drawing another wave of whispering ('So formal!' 'Wonder if she's rich - she has that vibe, you know?'). She blinked several times in surprise - guess it really _was_ unusual here - before continuing. "I am Nanami Nagisa. My friend Kohaku and I have chosen to study abroad in Japan after spending most of our lives overseas. We may be a bit unfamiliar with everything, but I am certain that we will be able to get along wonderfully. Please take care of us!"

Nanami's words drew a round of applause from the class… save for Amane, who wasn't applauding. No, she was frantically waving a hand in a bid to get Nanami and Kohaku's attention.

"Nagisa-san! Shishioh-san! Over here! Hello!"

Nanami's eyes widened as she registered the other party. "We meet again, Yamaguchi-san! Good day to you!"

"You know each other?" Megumi asked.

"Oh yes!" Amane said. "I ran into them on their first day here and showed them around Seizato! We had a great time together. Now we can become even closer!"

Amane's words drew a wave of quiet laughter and one 'That's our class rep for you' from one student, leading her to turn hot pink.

"Well, that does make this easier, I suppose." Megumi said… before noticing that Kohaku, who was still staring rigidly ahead, hadn't spoken yet. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself, Shishioh-san?"

Kohaku, who saw the crowd before her, but really didn't _see_ the crowd before her, didn't entirely register Megumi's words. No, she was too busy trying to maintain focus on the sea of faces before her in between preventing her throat from closing up out of panic.

"I…" 'Don't want to do this' was on the tip of Kohaku's tongue before she noticed the concerned looks Megumi and Nanami were sending her way. She took a deep, shaky breath before saying, in a completely deadpan tone "Kohaku Shishioh. I like swords."

This drew a wave of laughter from the class, leading Kohaku to flush and look down at her shoes, until Megumi succeeded in - mostly - quieting them with repeating shushing.

"Is that all, Shishioh-san?"

"Yes."

"I… I see." Megumi said. "In any case… for the time being, you two can sit at those desks near Yamaguchi-san."

As Nanami and Kohaku took their places at said desks - Nanami's next to Amane's, and Kohaku's in front of Nanami's, Amane turned to face Nanami, her eyes sparkling more brightly than ever before. "I'm so glad, you two! As your class representative, and as your friend, I'll be sure to help you with anything and everything you need!"

Megumi loudly cleared her throat. "You may converse with them later, Yamaguchi-san. We have a lesson to commence."

"Ahaha… of course we do." Amane slouched a bit before she turned her attentions back to the Cures. "Leave it to me!" she whispered. "I'll make sure you're taken care of!"

* * *

Nanami would be lying if she said she _completely_ understood what was going on during her and Kohaku's first day of school, but she was at least managing, and at present, managing seemed like more than enough. Perhaps she would have had to do more than manage were it not for the presence of Amane, who had made it her mission to ensure that neither Nanami nor Kohaku would have to be called on today.

"Excuse me, Nagisa-san is new to this country! I can cover it for now!"

"Pardon, Shishioh-san is from overseas, and I'm sure her school taught this differently! I'll handle it!'

"I'll take care of it today, since these two are overseas transfers!"

Nanami couldn't say she was at all insulted by this treatment. Maybe she was a bit taken aback by Amane's over-enthusiasm, but who was she to discourage a girl who just wanted to help even in such an... overzealous manner? All that would do was cause trouble and potentially hurt Amane's feelings.

Unfortunately, not every teacher was quite as taken by Amane's tactics.

"Nagisa-san is a big girl and does not need your help with reading this passage." said Tamaki Manabe, the teacher for 2-B's English class. They were a willowy individual who had dark red eyes, long and blue-gray hair done up into a bun and wore a red turtleneck and black pants. "Am I correct, Nagisa-san?"

"But-!" Amane protested, only to be silenced with a sharp death glare from the teacher. "Sorry, Manabe-sensei."

Amane slouched dramatically down into her chair, a gesture that drew some giggling from the class. Tamaki silenced this with another glare before homing in on the piece of paper Kohaku was scrawling on as this went on. They marched over to her desk and snatch it away in one fluid motion.

"What _is_ this…" Tamaki was scowling as they read the note… or tried to read the note. It was written in Illuster's script, making it impossible for them to decipher. "If you have the energy to spend on inventing languages, you can divert it towards my class. If you'd like to turn to page 24 of your textbook-"

"Manabe-sensei, I will gladly read it." Nanami said. "My deepest apologies, I shouldn't have made this into a huge affair and derailed your class."

"It's not _your-"_ Kohaku started, before she felt Tamaki's eyes on her and fell silent. For a normal human, they sure had a talent for giving off one of the most malevolent auras she'd ever felt.

"Fine." Manabe was thoroughly unrattled by the look Kohaku gave them as they folded up her note and stuck it into their pocket. "Go right ahead, Nagisa-san. And consider this a warning, Shishioh-san - I do not appreciate any sort of slacking off in my class."

Nanami launched into the reading. She pulled it off quite well, drawing even more excited whispering from the class and a starry-eyed look of admiration from Amane.

" _Amazing_! Maybe you don't need my help after all."

"I… wouldn't say that." Nanami said before immediately falling into silence once she noticed Manabe's gaze on her again.

* * *

Gym class saw a complete turnaround in Kohaku's behavior. The taller girl went from withdrawn and awkward to proactive and engaged, once it had started up. She was clearly in her element her… maybe a little too in her element, if you asked Nanami.

Today, Class 2-B was playing dodgeball… in theory. In practice, it had become a game of Who Can Beat Kohaku Shishioh. The answer, it seemed, was "no one", because Kohaku had enough speed, strength, and reflexes for three girls. Any dodgeball aimed her way was evaded expertly, and any dodgeball that got even a hair too close to Nanami-

"Lady Nanami! Look out!"

-was expertly deflected by a swat of Kohaku's wrist,

As for the other balls, the ones that Kohaku couldn't get to, those were taken care of by-

"Nagisa-san! Shishioh-san! I've got this!"

-Amane, who was clearly not even slightly on par with Kohaku but made up for what she lacked in physical ability with pure enthusiasm.

"Oh my gosh, look at Yamaguchi-san go!" the bespectacled girl said. "I didn't know she had it in her."

"Yamaguchi-san nothing - get a hold of Shishioh-san! Think she's a cyborg or something?" the green-haired girl said… right before a dodgeball, hit her square on the ribcage, knocking her flat. "Hey! Shishioh-san! We're your teammates too! Spare some concern for us, maybe?"

"I am here to protect Lady Nanami." Kohaku said curtly, before scrambling off to do just that once more.

"Kohaku!" Nanami exclaimed.

Kohaku looked towards her princess, clearly more than a little taken aback. "Lady Nanami? Am I not supposed to-"

"Now!" one of the girls on the opposing team called.

That was the cue for all others present to throw a volley of dodgeballs at Kohaku while she was distracted, in hopes of getting the other side's most problematic asset out of the game… or it would have been, had Amane not leapt in front of them, taking the several dodgeballs that had been meant for Kohaku, and sinking dramatically to the floor once she did.

"Yamaguchi-san!" Nanami cried, rushing to her aid.

"As your class rep… I couldn't let you two perish in the line of duty." Amane said mock-dramatically, as she stared dazedly up at the ceiling. "I… truly have no regrets."

"You didn't have to-" Nanami started, before Kohaku headed off yet another dodgeball aimed in her direction.

"Try and hit Lady Nanami all you want!" She stared the crowd down defiantly. "You'll have to go through me first!"

This drew some amused chattering out of several girls - "What does she mean by _Lady_ Nanami?" along with some grumbles of annoyance - "What is _with_ this girl" - and a noise of exasperation from Nanami - "We are supposed to be blending in…" - but Kohaku didn't seem to notice. If anything, she just threw herself into the "battle" even harder.

In the end, the answer to Who Can Beat Kohaku Shishioh was still "no one". Kohaku, along with Nanami, who she had protected to the end, was still one of the students left standing on her team, which had won handily, prompting Amane to rush up to the group, beaming visibly.

"We did it! Great job, you two!" She offered a hand to Nanami, who stared at it in confusion, until Amane prompted Nanami to raise her own and offered her a high-five. Then, to Kohaku "Especially you, Shishioh-san! We made a fantastic team, didn't we?"

Kohaku stared blankly at Amane. She replied with a mumbled "I guess so." before taking off, leaving Amane to stare after her, her eyes glimmering as brightly as ever.

"So aloof..." she muttered. "But so cool! They're both so cool!"

* * *

There was no way that Nanami and Kohaku were going to be allowed to eat their lunch in peace, as the two discovered within moments of getting out their lunchboxes. The girls of 2-B had swarmed around them before either of the two could so much as touch their food, before immediately proceeding to pelt the duo with questions.

"Nagisa-san, what do you mean by 'overseas'? _Where_ overseas, exactly?"

"Shishioh-san, why do you keep calling her 'Lady Nanami'? That's weird."

"What _are_ you two, exactly? Like, I know you said 'friends', but-"

The bespectacled girl pushed herself to the front of the crowd, followed by the green-haired girl. "You live with Tsubasa Aozora, don't you? Didn't she get turned into a monster? Is she okay? Has she taught you hand-to-hand combat or how to pick locks or how to flee the scene of a crime or how to lead-"

The green-haired girl shoved herself in front of her classmate. "Is it true that a magical girl rode up to the monster on her motorbike and was like 'henshin!" She pretended to hit an imaginary switch on an imaginary belt before striking a transformation pose and nearly hitting a nearby girl in the face. "And then she transformed and kicked its ass, right?"

The bespectacled girl looked nothing short of offended at her companion's words. "Taeko, magical girls don't have motorbikes."

Taeko huffed indignantly, crossing her arms. "You've never met an _actual_ magical girl, Misaki-chan. How do you know she wouldn't have a bike?"

"Look, I know magical girls. I'm a magical girl expert." Misaki shot back. "And they don't have bikes." She turned to Nanami and Kohaku with a plaintive look on her face. "I'm right, aren't I? The magical girl who showed up totally wouldn't have a bike, right?"

"A girl can hope, okay?" Taeko shot back.

Kohaku ignored her classmates' flood of questions and tried to focus on eating her lunch despite her nervousness. Nanami, who was used to others demanding her attention at a moment's notice, didn't feel that she had that option. Thus, she was left to struggle to field the endless barrage of questions that had been dumped on her.

"Well, you see, by 'overseas', I… Kohaku is… I really did mean what I said, we're…"

Nanami was saved from short-circuiting by Amane, who shoved her way through the crowd before the former could sputter out any more attempts at answers.

"Don't you guys think you're asking them too many questions?" she asked. "Poor Nagisa-san is overwhelmed, and Shishioh-san looks uncomfortable. They can't answer you like that." Then, to the pair "Would you two like to come with me? I know a great place we can eat lunch at."

"That would be quite lovely, yes." Nanami said. She stood up and put her lunch away, before offering an apologetic bow to the class. "My most sincere apologies, everyone. I promise to answer everyone's questions some other time."

Kohaku said nothing, but she was clearly relishing the chance to get away from the crowd as she too put her lunch away and fell in with Nanami and Amane.

* * *

Amane had taken the group to Sorairo's school courtyard, a spacious circular area in the center of the campus, which sported several carefully-arranged brick paths, trees, and hedges, a sizable fountain in the center, and a decent number of benches and picnic tables. Amane had seated herself at one of these, before eagerly motioning for Nanami and Kohaku to join her.

"Isn't it beautiful?" she asked. "Sometimes you just have to eat out here. It's a wonderful study area and a great place to share with your friends!" As Nanami and Kohaku opened their lunchboxes, she leaned forwards, eyes lighting up at the sight of the food within. "Oh my gosh, it looks so good! Did Tsubasa make this for you?"

"Oh no." Nanami said. "Kohaku did. She loves cooking, and she's amazing at it too!"

"That's… deeply appreciated, Lady Nanami." Kohaku was trying to act cool, but anyone with a decent pair of eyes could tell she was terribly flustered.

"Oh, nice!" Amane said. "Maybe you could make something for me sometimes, Shishioh-san?"

Kohaku said nothing in response. Amane seemed afraid to badger her further. That was Nanami's cue to jump in and break up the awkward silence that threatened to ensue.

"If it's alright for me to ask," she said "why do you keep going out of your way for us, Yamaguchi-san? I know you said that you wanted to make everyone happy, but it seems to go a bit deeper than that."

"Oh, that's…" Amane flushed slightly, as she bit into the fried egg she'd packed for lunch. "I just like helping anyone who needs it. Mostly because it makes people happy but also? It makes me feel like a hero."

That certainly had Nanami's interest piqued. "A hero?"

"Yeah…" Amane looked embarrassed, but Nanami's obvious interest kept her going. "That's my personal ideal for myself. A hero who can fill in for every club and every sports team. A hero who can help everyone around town. And a hero who can make sure the new students in her class are happy." She nodded firmly. "That's who I want to be."

"That's quite a noble goal." Nanami said. "I've known many people who fancied themselves heroes in my life, but none sounded as committed to it as you do, Yamaguchi-san. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors."

Amane was beet red. "You really think so? Really, really?" Nanami nodded. Amane looked like she was ready to ascend through the stratosphere. "Thank you so much, Nagisa-san! I'll make sure to work extra hard for your sake! You too, Shishioh-san! I'll make your time at Sorairo a wonderful one!"

Kohaku didn't seem at all interested in this conversation… or anything else that wasn't her food. After a few moments of silence, she sidled up to Nanami, lowering her voice to the point that only the latter could hear it.

"I wonder how Sirius is progressing." she said quietly. "We should really be focused on that, Lady Nanami."

Nanami nodded solemnly in response… before she noticed Amane's perplexed look. "It's nothing to worry about!" she assured her. "I promise!"

* * *

Kohaku breathed an audible sigh of relief once class had finally been let out for the day.

" _Finally_ " she said quietly as she packed up her school bag. "Now we can actually attend to matters of importance, Lady Nanami."

"Indeed... I would love to stay, but it doesn't seem at all right to let Siri work alone." Nanami said as she followed Kohaku outside of Classroom 2-B. "I really hope they've been able to get on alright without us."

"Hey, where are you guys going?"

Before Nanami and Kohaku could leave, they were met with Amane, who had bounded up to them, looking a bit disheartened at their attempt to leave without her. Nanami looked mildly apologetic at the sight of the other girl. Kohaku… not so much.

"Lady Nanami and I have business to attend to." Kohaku said.

"That can wait, can't it?" Amane asked, her tone a little desperate-sounding. "I mean, I promised to make your time at Sorairo a great one! I can't just let you join the Go-Home Club and call it a day! It wouldn't be right at all! So, please?"

Kohaku seemed completely unmoved by Amane's entreaties, but Nanami was a completely different story.

"I… suppose it couldn't hurt to look around for a little while." she said as she fell in with Amane. "I'm sure Siri will understand." she told Kohaku quietly as the group departed. "It's not right to just abandon her."

"Whatever you say, Lady Nanami." Kohaku muttered as she trailed after the pair.

* * *

There were indeed a great many potential after-school diversions around Sorairo, as Amane led the pair to where various different school clubs were gathering - the newspaper club, the archery team, student council, tea ceremony club, track and field, softball, flower arrangement club, baking club… there were a few that Nanami seemed interested in, but she didn't truly come alive until Amane led her and Kohaku to Sorairo's small and modest library.

You would think that someone like Nanami, who had grown up with a library hundreds of times larger and more impressive than this one, with its small handful of circular tables and chairs, neatly arranged shelves and walls of books, and collection of beanbag chairs. You would be wrong. The elder princess of Illuster looked like she had died and gone to heaven.

"It's… so beautiful!" Nanami's glasses were gleaming as she advanced further inside, taking in the sight of all the books before her. It was clear that she was mentally restraining herself from simply rushing in and throwing herself into perusing the school's collection. "So quaint… so cozy. I love it."

Amane blinked in confusion at that one. "Cozy?"

"The library back in my… hometown is considerably larger than this one." Nanami explained. "So, this is very cozy compared to what I'm used to. But that's fine. All libraries are fine. I would gladly live in a library if I could get away with it."

If Nanami had looked behind her, she would have seen Kohaku, who was pressed close to the entrance of the library, clearly ready to escape at a moment's notice, press a hand to her mouth to suppress an errant laugh.

"As it so happens, I'm the head of Sorairo's library committee!" Amane said. "Would you like to join, Nagisa-san? I'm sure we could use a library maniac like you."

The 'of course' was on the tip of Nanami's tongue… before she noticed how desperate to leave Kohaku was and rapidly amended it to "I'll think about it."

"Oh… alright." Amane was clearly trying and badly failing to hide her disappointment. "I totally get it if you want to shop around before you commit to a club - not everyone's as comfy spreading themselves around as I am." Then, to Kohaku "What about you, Shishioh-san?"

Kohaku barely made eye contact with Amane. "There's really nothing, I-"

Unfortunately, Amane did not seem to be listening. "Oh, wait! I've got it!" She pumped her fist into the air... and earned a loud shushing from the librarian on duty. "You said you like swords, right?" she added, more quietly this time as she edged towards Kohaku. "And you remember Asahina-senpai? The girl you met at the train station? Well, have I got a nice surprise for you, Shishioh-san! Trust me, you're gonna love this!"

Before Kohaku could say anything in protest, Amane had grabbed her by the wrist and was physically dragging her - a surprising feat, given that she was barely taller than Nanami - out of the library, forcing Nanami to run after the two of them for once.

* * *

A good portion of Sorairo's gym building was taken up by a pristine gray and white fencing hall, populated by numerous girls in fencing uniforms, many of whom were wearing fencing masks. Amane's gaze was focused on one figure, who stood a bit taller than most of the other girls in the room, save Kohaku.

"Next!" she called, as yet another girl stepped forwards to face her… and was soundly beaten.

Amane was clearly quite taken by this figure's swordsmanship. Even Kohaku, who had positioned herself right next to the entrance to the fencing hall in a clear bid to leave as soon as she could get away with it, was carefully watching the figure's movements and form. Her eyes had lit up, seeing the other party's technique, Nanami noted. Clearly, she was impressed with what she saw.

Finally, the tall figure seemed to register the newcomers in the fencing hall. After soundly defeating another student, she approached the group and removed her mask, shaking out her short strawberry-blond hair, which was now beaded with sweat. " _Ciao,_ Yama-chi! And the mysterious strangers too! What brings you here?"

"Hey, I promised I'd introduce them to you!" Amane said. "Nagisa-san, Shishioh-san, this is Robin Asahina, captain of our fencing team… and the sun of Sorairo Academy! Asahina-senpai, this is Nanami Nagisa and Kohaku Shishioh. I met them after they arrived here from overseas, and this was their first day of school here!"

"So you _are_ transfers!" Robin offered the group an exaggerated bow, leading several other fencing team members - Taeko among them - to begin giggling. "I'll work hard to brighten your days as well!"

"It gets better too, Asahina-senpai." Amane said. "Shishioh-san here said she likes swords! _And_ she hasn't joined a club yet! Aren't you always looking for more members?"

Robin looked nothing short of elated at that one. "You like swords, hm?" She was edging closer and closer to Kohaku as she spoke. " _Commozione_! I knew you were a girl I could get along with! Do you just appreciate the aesthetics of swords, or do you actually fence, or-"?

The closer Robin got to Kohaku, the further she backed away, until her back was almost pressed against the exit to the fencing hall.

Nanami picked up on Kohaku's discomfort immediately and moved to speak up. "Excuse me, Asahina-san… Yamaguchi-san-"

"Anyone who likes swords in general would be a good fit here, right, Asahina-senpai?" said Amane, completely oblivious to both Nanami's words and Kohaku's mounting discomfort. "I know things have been a bit awkward for you so far, Shishioh-san, but if you give the fencing team a chance, I'm sure you'll fit right in!"

"We can spar, if you'd like?" Robin offered. "I have a sword you could use, there has to be at least one uniform that could fit you, and with those reflexes of yours-"

Kohaku's back was now directly against the fencing hall exit as she stared at Amane, Robin, and the number of other fencing team members who were looking in her direction, trying not to let her throat close up out of panic again as she forced out a quiet "...stop it."

"Did you say something, Shishioh-san?" Amane asked, approaching the other girl and placing a hand on her arm. "You look a bit drained - should I get you some water before you start, or-"

"Stop it!" Kohaku shouted, pulling away from Amane. "Leave me alone!"

Before anyone present could say anything more, Kohaku had bolted out of the fencing hall, leading Nanami and Amane to take off after her and leaving a stunned Robin in their wake.

* * *

Kohaku was hunched over slightly and breathing heavily when Nanami and Amane caught up with her outside the gym building, clearly trying to calm herself down and clearly not having a particularly easy time of it.

"Shishioh-san, are you okay?" Amane asked as she rushed to Kohaku's side.

Kohaku did not respond for several moments. When she finally straightened up and turned to face Amane, she seemed superficially calm, but it was abundantly clear that she was anything but alright.

"Do you not realize how annoying you're being?" Kohaku asked, her tone horribly strained despite her clear efforts to keep her voice level. "You refuse to leave Lady Nanami and I alone, you act like you have a right to tell us where to go and what to do, you try to decide things for me-"

"Kohaku, please don't!" Nanami exclaimed.

"I don't care if you wish to join the library committee, Lady Nanami." Kohaku told her, even as she kept her focus on Amane, who seemed ready to phase through the ground. "You're free to do whatever you want. But tools like myself should not be doing anything but serving you. I don't need anything to distract me from my purpose. That's not going to change, no matter how much you try to force things on me, Yamaguchi-san."

The temperature in the air seemed to drop slightly as Kohaku's words echoed in Nanami's ears, and her mind rushed back to a scene from six years ago.

 _Amber was standing in Nerissa's bedchamber barely making eye contact with the young princess, who was propped up in bed._

 _"What do you mean you can't play with me anymore?" Nerissa asked._

 _"It's not right." Amber said. Her tone was stoic and distant, a far cry from the shy but friendly girl that had been Nerissa's constant playmate a few days ago. "I forgot my place, and that's why-"_

 _"It's not your fault!" Nerissa tried to sit up, only to wince in pain. The sight drew a look of concern from Amber, which she did her best to shove under a mask of stoicism - a disconcerting sight on an eight-year-old._ _"It's my fault I fell! I promise I'll be careful next time! I promise I'll listen to you! So please-"_

 _Amber shook her head. "A princess is never at fault for her tool's actions. That is what I am to you and Lady Celes, Lady Nerissa. That's what I was always supposed to be. A tool. Use me well."_

Part of Nanami wanted to tell Kohaku off, but she could not bring herself to do it, not when it would make matters worse. And not when it would potentially cause more stres for Amane, who was gazing directly at the ground and trembling all over. Instead, she tried to do damage control.

"Yamaguchi-san, I recognize that you were being a... bit over-zealous, but you did nothing wrong. Kohaku just isn't the kind of person who takes well to-"

Amane shook her head, a tear splashing onto the ground beneath her. "N-no... it's fine. I understand. I really was being annoying, wasn't I?"

Even Kohaku looked a bit cowed at what had just happened. "Yamaguchi-san-"

"I'm sorry!" Amane shouted. Before Nanami or Kohaku could say anything more, she ran off in tears.

* * *

The rabbits in the small rabbit hutch situated next to Sorairo's class building were becoming terribly agitated.

"What's with you guys?" said a student who had been feeding the rabbits, as the rabbits abandoned all interest in their food in favor of climbing over her. They began to frantically strain against the walls of the hutch as if there was someone or something out there they desperately needed to get to.

Something odd was happening around Sorairo's campus as well - wild rabbits were flocking towards the school, around the entrance, near the softball field, close to the classroom and club buildings, drawing surprised gasps and whispers of excitement from many Sorairo students. All of them seemed to be drawn towards a certain place - or rather, a certain person.

The person in question was a pale girl with short, bobbed maroon hair, ornamented by a black headband with a small bow, and slightly dull-looking gray eyes. She wore a white hoodie with a heart symbol, a gray denim skirt, and blue and gray checked sneakers, making her stick out like a sore thumb. Sometimes, students would start to ask her who she was, what she thought she was doing, and why there were so many rabbits around her, but then she would disappear.

Selenite was now leaning against the wall of one of the club buildings, her eyes glinting occasionally as she glanced inside the hearts of each of the students that passed her by. There were plenty of bright Roaring Sparks to be found, but none shone with the brilliance that Lady Sardonyx would require. Then, that was not her main concern at present.

"So, this is a school." She sighed wistfully at the sight of the students passing her by. Many of them were clearly caught up in one club activity or another. "They look like they're having fun..." she told one of the rabbits that had positioned itself by her feet. "If Tourmaline and I went here, no one would look twice at us."

Selenite shook her head rapidly at the thought. No, Sardonyx would be upset if she brought that up. Tourmaline would get annoyed with her for wanting to do something so needless. Maybe Agate would vouch for her, but-

"Concentrate, dummy." Selenite told herself. "Be useful. Not like one would just come to me."

And then Amane ran past her in tears, her Roaring Spark shining with unusual brilliance. Selenite stared after her for a moment, blinking in surprise before she gave chase.

* * *

Amane could barely see through her tears as she sat in Sorairo's courtyard, trying her best to ignore the occasional stare from passing-by students as she sobbed quietly.

"I can't do anything right after all." she muttered through her veil of tears. "Even found a way to screw helping them up." She wiped her eyes on her sleeve, trying to get herself cleaned up a bit, but the tears kept coming. "If _he_ was here, I'm sure he'd nail this _perfectly_." she added bitterly... before noticing something at her feet.

Several rabbits were dotting the area, one of which was staring up at her. The sight was strange enough to distract Amane from her misery momentarily, the class representative wiping her eyes on her sleeve and sniffling a bit as she took in the sight of the rabbits.

"That's odd." Her voice was still cracked from crying so hard. "When did you guys get here?"

"Um... excuse me?"

Amane looked up from where the rabbits were milling about to find a very oddly-dressed and oddly... unsettling-looking pink-haired girl standing in front of her, surrounded by a small flock of rabbits.

"Can... can I help you?" She tried to stay polite, despite the alarm bells this stranger set off in her head.

"You will." the stranger replied. "I'm sorry about this," she added, dropping into a quick bow of apology, "but I'm going to take your Roaring Spark now."

Amane had no idea what the girl in front of her was even talking about, but the sound of the alarm bells in her head had grown far too loud to ignore. Instinctively, she leapt to her feet in a bid to flee the area. She wouldn't get the chance.

* * *

"Kohaku... there wasn't any need to go _that_ far." Nanami said as the two wandered Sorairo, trying to find where Amane had gotten off to, doing the occasional double-take at the sight of the rabbits wandering the area - was that something that happened normally here? "She really was just trying to help us in the end."

Kohaku was forcing herself to make eye contact with Nanami as she spoke. "Lady Nanami, I apologize, I've been trying to keep things to myself all day, but everything just sort of came out all at once, and-"

Nanami frowned slightly at that one. "Kohaku, I don't think I'm the one you should be apologizing to." She noticed Kohaku had paused in her tracks and was about to drop into a bow of apology and added "Yamaguchi-san went a bit too far. I recognize that, and I will speak to her about it. But in the end, she was trying to make school experience a good one."

"I don't care about that." The urge to drop her gaze grew even stronger as Kohaku saw the puzzled look in Nanami's eyes. "Lady Nerissa, I hate it here. I hate how casually everyone treats you, and I hate how I have to waste time here instead of making myself useful. If you want to have a good school experience, go right ahead. I support anything that will make you happy, Lady Nerissa. But a tool like myself needs no part of that."

" _Amber_ , as I've said before, my status means nothing here. And your job shouldn't mean anything here either. I'm capable of defending myself if I must." Nanami motioned to her blazer pocket, where her Roaring Compact was kept. "Besides, Captain Alex told me that there were many occasions where she and Mother kept their titles to themselves when she was escorting her. Why can't we be the same way?"

Kohaku's body tensed up at the mention of her mother, and her right fist unconsciously tightened, a sight that gave Nanami pause. "Lady Ner... Lady Nanami, I..."

Before either girl could say anything more, a scream sounded from the direction of the courtyard. Quick glances were shared between Nanami and Kohaku before both girls abandoned their conversation completely in favor of running towards the source of the scream. Everything else could wait.

* * *

Amane was glued to the ground by a circle of glowing silver runes, her eyes wide with terror as Selenite advanced on her. Several other Sorairo students were present, but all of them were far too stunned by what had happened to do much.

"What do you want with me?" Amane demanded, as tears rolled down her face.

"Like I said, your Roaring Spark." Selenite responded nonchalantly, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. Before Amane could demand to know what in the world she was even talking about, Selenite had extended her left hand towards the girl as the gem on its back glowed. "Roaring Spark... come forth, please?"

Nanami and Kohaku arrived on the scene just as Amane's Roaring Spark was forcefully manifested outside of her body, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Yamaguchi-san!" Nanami shouted in alarm.

Selenite looked over her shoulder as Amane's Roaring Spark blackened and sunk back into her chest, causing Sorairo students and rabbits alike to scatter in panic. "Oh... hello." she said absently, even as the same dark violet sphere of energy that had surrounded Tsubasa before grew up around Amane and grew increasingly larger. "Are you gonna fight me now? Or it, I guess?"

As Selenite spoke, the violet energy that had been surrounding Amane dissipated to reveal a hulking black figure, clad in a cheap-looking imitation of paladin armor forged from rusty tin. Its breastplate was inset with a silver gem, and it wielded an immense shield and an oversized sword as its empty gold eyes stared down the few parties that were still present through the window of its helmet. Once again, dark violet energy was coming off it in waves, as the students remaining in the area succumbed to its presence, collapsing to their knees and clutching at their chests as negative energy rose from their bodies.

Immediately, Nanami withdrew her Roaring Compact from her blazer pocket, Kohaku following suit. There was no need for words, not now.

"Medal, set! Pretty Cure, Roaring Rebirth!"

"Guardian of the ocean that blooms with life! Blossom Knight, Cure Delphinus!"

"Guardian of the wind that sweeps through the plains! Tempest Knight, Cure Leo!"

"The two of us are Pretty Cure!" Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo chorused.

"Those who cruelly meddle with the hearts of others-" Cure Leo said, pointing a finger at Selenite.

"We'll put a stop to your actions at once!" Cure Delphinus said, following suit.

"Oh… pretty." Selenite, now perched on the outside rim of the courtyard fountain, said, as she took in the two's transformation and subsequent catchphrases with sparkling eyes, before she appeared to remember what she was supposed to be doing. "But... you're in Lady Sardonyx's way. Destroy them, Utsuroid!"

The Utsuroid cried in anguish and frustration as it dove towards the Cures, trying to take both out in one fell swoop with their sword. Both Leo and Delphinus performed backwards handsprings in opposite directions to get out of its way, only for it to round on Delphinus, its sword slicing clean through a nearby tree as it swung blindly at her.

Before Delphinus could react, Leo shoved her out of the way. The orange Cure created an energy sword and attemptd to land a leaping slash on the Utsuroid's gem... only for it to smack her away with its shield before her attack could connect. Leo was sent flying into the air, forcing Delphinus to spring upwards and touch down on a nearby rooftop, leaving a shower of pink sparkles in her wake as she effortlessly caught her fellow Cure in her arms.

"Lady Delphinus, there's no need for that!" Leo said as she extricated herself from her partner's grasp. "Please stand back and let me handle this - it's my fault anyway."

"How many times must I say it?" Delphinus fired back. She and Leo leapt off the roof just in time to avoid the Utsuroid outright flinging the severed tree at both Cures before countering with a blast of water, which the Utsuroid handily deflected. "We're partners, Leo!"

"I am your _tool_." Leo fired back. She created another energy sword and set to work attempting to find an opening to hack at the Utsuroid as it advanced on the two, flattening hedges and smashing benches and tables in its wake. "Let me just be that - _this_ is what came of me running my mouth!"

Selenite, who was forced to abandon her perch on the fountain with an alarmed squeak as the Utsuroid came close to stepping on her, tilted her head in confusion at the two's exchange. "Huh... not nearly as in sync as big bro said."

"I'm so stupid..." the Utsuroid said in Amane's horribly distorted voice as it shrugged off Delphinus' blows and continuously thwarted Leo's attempts to find an opening to attack. "I'm so stupid!" It gave a scream of fury as it lunged at Leo. The orange Cure was only saved from taking the full brunt of its blade by Delphinus, who fired a high-pressure torrent of water at said blade, making it miss just enough for Leo to roll out of its way.

"Lady Delphinus, I don't need-" Leo started.

"Please focus, Leo!" Delphinus shot back. "It'll be easier to get Yamaguchi-san back to normal if we work together!"

"As if someone like me can be a hero!" the Utsuroid yelled as it advanced on Delphinus and Leo. "I'm not great at anything! I'm not special or important, not like Nagisa-san and Shishioh-san! I just wanted them to look at me! I just wanted them to like me! But of course, I screwed that up, just like everything else!"

The Utsuroid gave another scream of rage and lunged forwards, too quickly for Delphinus or Leo to evade. Both Cures gave a scream of shock as they were launched upwards. Selenite, now wielding her hammer, met them mid-air. The moment the two were close enough, she smacked them out of the air and towards the Utsuroid. Before either Cure could react properly, the Utsuroid rammed them backwards with its shield. The pair landed heavily on a nearby picnic table, splitting it on impact.

Selenite touched down a few feet from the Utsuroid, blinking in surprise at the sight of her stunned opponents. "Oh... it was that easy?"

Indeed, it didn't seem that either Cure was going to last much longer. Delphinus was hauling herself to her feet as she gritted her teeth in pain, but she was just barely managing to stand. Leo, who pulled herself up after refusing an offered hand from Delphinus, didn't look like she was going to hold out much further either. It was clear that neither would be able to get out of the way in time before the Utsuroid, which was slowly raising its sword, mowed them down.

"Delphinus, run!" shouted Leo, who was swaying on her feet, as the Utsuroid swung its sword towards her.

Delphinus did no such thing. Instead, she rushed to Leo's side and supported her fellow Cure, even as she stared down the Utsuroid. "Yamaguchi-san, please stop!"

And the Utsuroid did just that. It was only for a moment, but a moment was more than enough time for the girls to get out of the way, right as it brought its sword down into the ground. It used a bit too much force, leaving its blade wedged deeply into the earth and forcing the Utsuroid to struggle to pull it out.

"It's useless." it moaned as it tried to extricate its sword from the ground. "No matter what I do, I'll never be as good as my brother. No matter how hard I try, I'll always mess things up. I should just give up."

"You shouldn't give up!" Delphinus shot back. She was not sure if Amane could hear her, but it was worth a try. "Even if you made mistakes today... you had heroic intentions! You can still do better! For your sake, I will not give up on you!" The Utsuroid hesitated for just a second longer. That was exactly what Delphinus needed. "Now, Leo!"

Leo didn't need any further elaboration. Before the Utsuroid could get its sword out of the ground, Leo aimed another leaping slash at the gem in its breastplate with one of her energy swords. This time, it landed perfectly, causing the Utsuroid's gem to crack as it sunk down on the ground.

The two Cures, exhausted but triumphant, nodded to one another as they prepared their finishers.

"Pretty Cure! Blossom Cascade!"

"Pretty Cure! Tempest Fang!"

Once more, the two attacks converged and hit the Utsuroid, causing the gem on its chest to shatter into pieces as its form began to glow. "So warm…" it said, as it gave off more multicolored energy, which flowed towards Delphinus and Leo's Roaring Compacts, before its form resolved into that of an unconscious but unharmed Amane, whose Roaring Spark, pristine and shining once more, sunk back into her chest as she laid prone on the ground.

Delphinus wasted no time in rushing to Amane's side to make sure she was alright, but Leo-

"Interesting." Selenite inclined her head quizzically as she took in the sight of the ruined courtyard, the numerous unconscious Sorairo students, and her tired but triumphant opponents. "Guess I should-"

Before Selenite could finish that sentence, she found herself dodging a thrown energy sword. Selenite fired back with a wildly-aimed beam of silver light. Leo handily sidestepped the blast, which was left to singe a hole in a nearby hedge.

"Why are you doing this?" Leo demanded. "And why did you attack the Temple of the Stars that day? Why have you caused Lady Delphinus so much pain? Answer me!"

"Leo, there's no need to-" Delphinus started, from her place by Amane's side, but Leo didn't seem to hear her.

Selenite, on the other hand, just looked confused. "Huh? The Temple of the Stars? We didn't attack any place like that."

"Don't lie to me." Another energy sword appeared in Leo's hand as she advanced on Selenite. "Without the Rainbow Melody, Illuster would still be safe! And without entering the Temple of the Stars-"

"I'm really not lying." Selenite looked just a bit nervous now, and her voice was slightly cracked as she backed away from Leo, her form trembling. "We never entered any kind of temple, and we didn't even touch that music box. Your Rainbow Melody just... kind of turned off on its own."

Leo was clearly taken aback by that one. "What are you even talking about?"

Selenite did not answer. She looked too afraid of Leo to take the conversation further. Instead, she took the opening Leo had given her and vanished in a burst of sparkling silver light.

Leo frowned as she transformed back into Kohaku in a flash of orange light. Delphinus, still checking up on Amane, reverted to Nanami in a flash of pink light as their surroundings returned to normal.

"If not them, then..." Kohaku muttered.

* * *

Amane woke up to find herself lying on a bed in the school infirmary, Nanami and Kohaku standing by her side with concern in their eyes.

"What happened?" she asked groggily.

"It seems you passed out for a moment." Nanami replied. "Kohaku and I helped carry you to the infirmary, and you've been here since."

"I had a strange dream." Amane said quietly. "There was a creepy girl who attacked me, and... I don't remember much after that, just that iwas dark and cold. But I remember hearing you, Nagisa-san. For a moment, I..." Her brown eyes widened as she sat bolt upright in bed. "Oh no..."

"Yamaguchi-san?" Nanami asked worriedly?

Amane dropped into an apologetic bow. "Nagisa-san, Shishioh-san, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be as annoying as I was. I was just so excited to meet such interesting people that I kind of went bananas." She kept her gaze on her hands as she spoke. "If you want, I'll leave you guys alone from now on."

Kohaku shook her head. "I'm the one who should apologize." she said. "Overwhelmed or not, I had no business being so harsh. I'm very sorry, Yamaguchi-san."

"You don't have to leave us alone." Nanami added. "I'd love to become better friends with you - as your classmate and as a fellow member of the library committee."

That had Amane changing her tune in a flash. "You want to join, Nagisa-san? Really, really? You're not just saying that?"

"Not at all." Nanami said. "I'd be honored to be involved with your library."

"No clubs for me." Kohaku added quietly, trying to ignore the slightly disheartened look in Nanami's eyes at that one. "Sorry."

"That's fine." Amane replied. "And I'm sorry for trying to force it on you before, Shishioh-san." A pause, then "It's okay if I still want to hang out with you, right? Even if it's just to study together or something?"

Kohaku shot a glance at Nanami for a moment before she nodded. "I see no reason to say 'no' to that."

As the three girls stayed together in the infirmary, just until Amane was feeling well enough to be helped back home, Kohaku stared out the infirmary window at the setting sun, her expression troubled as Selenite's words echoed through her head. If not the Void Clan, then... no, it couldn't be like that. She could hear her mother calling her stupid and disgusting, not to mention a disgrace to her bloodline for entertaining _that_ notion even for a split second.

But what if?


	4. Episode Four

**Episode Four** : The Moon, The Sun, and Our Melody of Hope!

* * *

 **A/N** : _Warning for heavy allusions to emotional abuse by a parent at the last scene of this chapter!_

* * *

Royalty must always keep face. That was one of the earliest lessons that Nanami had learned, and it was one she always tried her best to practice. Were she a common girl, her troubles would have only been a matter of significant concern for those in her immediate circle. But Nanami was a princess, and a princess who was known to have troubles made those troubles the concern of every servant and subject. And because royalty need not burden their subjects or staff, they needed to appear unburdened at all times.

As Nanami had pointed out, her status meant nothing here. But… her countrymen were still her countrymen, and even if she didn't want them to treat her like a princess, her desire to avoid weighing them down with her own concerns remained. Thus, it was especially important that she continue to maintain face.

So, when Nanami and Kohaku had returned home to Shooting Star on the evening of their first day of school, only to be met with the sight of a visibly crestfallen-looking Sirius seated at one of its tables, Nanami had tried not to look too upset. And when Sirius had deposited a few shards of pink and gold on the table, Nanami had hid her utter devastation behind a mask of mild worry.

"That's what I've found of the Orgel… so far." There had been a decisive note of unease in Sirius' usually-chipper tone. "No wonder I felt traces of it all around Seizato."

The moment Kohaku had seen the remnants of the Celestial Orgel, something within her shriveled and died. The taller girl, who had seemed to be holding something uncomfortable to her chest ever since the fight with Amane's Utsuroid, folded into herself even further, refusing to make eye contact as her lips moved soundlessly.

Kohaku's reaction made Nanami's heart ache terribly… and rendered it even more important for her to maintain face. If her fellow Cure was in danger of being dragged into despair over what was ultimately out of her control, then her partner needed to be her rock.

"It wasn't your fault, Kohaku." Nanami laid a gentle hand on the other girl's arm. "And this isn't the end of the world. If Siri was able to find this many pieces on their own, imagine what we could find if we work together?"

"Our princess makes an excellent point, yes, yes." Sirius, who had seemed to regain a bit of their spirit at Nanami's words, added. "And once we do that… well, the powers of Pretty Cure created this Orgel, I'm certain they could put it back together without a problem."

Kohaku had said nothing in response, outside of a muttered "If you say so, Lady Nanami." She had spent the rest of the evening in near silence.

That night, both Cures found themselves struggling to get to sleep as their minds whirled with uncomfortable thoughts - Nanami's with worry about Kohaku, Kohaku's with worry about the Orgel and her earlier exchange with Selenite. Neither spoke of this in the morning. It wouldn't be right to bother the other about it, after all.

* * *

Kohaku didn't seem to have improved much the next day. If anything, she seemed even gloomier, and Amane had noticed as soon as she'd offered her and Nanami a very loud and cheerful greeting at the train station… only to rapidly dial it back seconds later, clearly worried about a repeat of yesterday's events. You would have had to watch Kohaku closely to pick up on it, but she really did seem to appreciate the gesture.

"I… think it'd be best if I gave you guys a little distance this morning." Amane had informed the pair. Indeed, she sat near them, but spent very little time attempting to make conversation and much more time busying herself filling out what appeared to be dates and appointments in a large heart-printed planner.

That left Nanami to attempt to make conversation with Kohaku during the ensuing train ride… to very little avail. At best, she got one- or two-word responses, and it wasn't long before she gave up and contented herself with staring out the train window, watching the still-unfamiliar city she now called home rush past her as the train carried everyone downtown.

Kohaku had still barely spoken when she and Nanami arrived at Sorairo. Amane was busy with something and had run ahead of the pair, leaving the two to their own devices. Nanami was trying to seem unperturbed at present, keeping her eyes on the path ahead of her, outside of the occasional glance at the trees lining the path to Sorairo, which were beginning to bloom into beautiful pink flowers, or Kohaku, who was staring out into space as they went along. She couldn't give Kohaku anything more to worry about.

Nanami picked a terrible time to take her eyes off the path in order to steal once last glance at Kohaku. Before she or Kohaku could realize what she was about to do, Nanami had careened right into a girl with her back turned to her. Nanami and her classmate were sent crashing to the ground as the latter's schoolbag went flying out of her grasp and skidded several feet away.

Kohaku immediately snapped to attention. "Lady Nanami, are you alright?" she asked as she scrambled to her princess' side.

"I am, yes." Nanami said as she allowed Kohaku to help her to her feet. She was more focused on the girl she had accidentally knocked over - Yuzuki Himi, who seemed a bit shaken but none the worse for wear. "Are you alright, Himi-san?" she asked, offering the other, very beautfiul girl a hand. "I apologize for not watching where I was going."

Yuzuki looked a bit baffled by Nanami's reaction, but only momentarily. She accepted her outstretched hand a moment later, a gesture that sent a bit of heat to Nanami's face.

"I believe so." Yuzuki graciously allowed the other girl to help her to her feet. "Thank you for your concern... but I should aplogize for not stepping out of your way in time." she added as she retrieved her schoolbag and smoothed out her skirt.

The moment Yuzuki recovered, Nanami was set upon by a nearby trio of Sorairo students. None of them looked happy about her so much as breathing in Yuzuki's direction.

"How dare you hurt Himi-san!" a girl with dark red hair cut into a bob snapped at Nanami.

"Himi-san has a run in her tights, and her school bag's all dirty!" said another girl, who had curly, platinum blond hair ornamented with a ribbon. "And like, you call _that_ a good enough apology?"

"You have no business speaking to Himi-san so casually!" the third girl, who was tanned, with dark blue hair pulled into a high ponytail said. "As if you're anywhere in her league."

Before the trio could advance any further on Nanami, Kohaku parked herself between them and her princess.

"Lady Nanami does not have to answer to the likes of _you_." she said bluntly. "If you have issues, take them up with me."

"Oh, shove off, weirdo." the blue-haired girl sniffed disdainfully. "And quit cowering behind her." she snapped at Nanami. "Come on out and-"

"That is _enough_." Yuzuki said as she rounded on the trio, her gray eyes growing even stormier-looking. Her voice had barely risen in volume, but nevertheless, it carried an air that was nothing short of queenly as she spoke. "Akagi-san, Kijima-san, Oume-san, this was an honest mistake on her part. Leave her alone."

Akagi, Kijima, and Oume fell back immediately, but Nanami could feel their eyes boring into her as they stood behind Yuzuki. Not that she could pay muc mind to that to that, or the students who hadn't since lost interest and moved on, once it had become clear a fight was not going to happen. Not when someone as beautiful as Yuzuki was present.

Yuzuki had not missed how Nanami was staring at her. For a moment, she seemed as if she wanted to say something, before she appeared to think better of this and left it at "Farewell. Let me know if you two need help with anything at all. As student council president, I'm here to help."

And then Yuzuki was gone, her girl posse following at her heels as she entered Sorairo's classroom building, leaving Nanami to stare after her.

"She really _is_ like a princess." she muttered. "I have to meet her."

* * *

When Tourmaline had stepped in the sitting room of the Citadel that morning, she found her older brother and younger twin sister engaged in a lively discussion. The former was leaning against a wall, and the latter had settled for perching herself on the arm of a nearby chair, which was occupied by a soulless body.

"It was really interesting, big bro… there w so many Roaring Sparks packed into the same place. Pretty much everyone was my and Tourmaline's age. If we put on those uniforms, we would fit right in."

Agate hummed thoughtfully as he took in Selenite's words. "And those two are attending this school too… Selenite, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" He looked up, having finally registered Tourmaline's entrance and added "Hey, Tourmaline - your sister's given this guy an A+ idea! How'd you feel about getting closer to the Pretty Cure?"

Tourmaline stared blankly at her older brother. "Getting closer to the Pretty Cure?"

"As in, attending the same school as them." Agate said. "Think about it - you two infiltrate, you learn their weaknesses, we use those weaknesses to defeat them-" He clapped his hands together. "They're out of the way and we can… you know, leave Lady Sardonyx to do her thing."

"Yeah!" Selenite's head bobbing up and down in time with Agate's words. "If _they_ can fit in with the humans of this word, it would be too easy for us. Plus, Lady Sardonyx wants them out of the way, so..." She looked pleadingly at her twin. "It's a great idea, right _?"_

"Getting close to Pretty Cure in order to undermine them does sound like an excellent tactic." A small, unfriendly smile played on Tourmaline's lips. "That aside… a densely populated setting like this academy could give us access to a steady stream of targets. It really is an intriguing proposal, Agate, Selenite."

"Tourmaline!" Selenite squeaked, before leaping up from her perch to hug her sister, who remained stiff and unresponsive all the while. "I'm glad… I promise to do my best!" she said as she let her go.

"That's my little sis!" Agate gave Tourmaline a pat on the back, moments after Selenite released her from her grip. "I knew you'd-"

"However, I refuse."

If words had weight, Tourmaline's would have sent her siblings crashing through the floor, judging by the looks on their faces in the wake of her response.

"There is no way that I would ever involve myself with humans, simply to defeat Pretty Cure." Tourmaline sniffed disdainfully. "I can do that _and_ scout for targets on my own."

"But… I'm sure if we try…" Selenite, now obviously thoroughly heartbroken, mumbled as she stared down at the floor.

Agate narrowed his eyes disapprovingly at Tourmaline. "If you want to say 'no', just say 'no' - there's no need to be such a brat about it."

"I am _not_ being a brat, you jerk!" Tourmaline snapped. She answered Agate's ensuing roll of the eyes with a disdainful huff before adding "Anyway _,_ Lady Sardonyx was calling for you. Are you two going to waste more time, or are you going to answer her summons?"

* * *

Sardonyx looked healthier, but only slightly so. The leader of the Void Clan might have regained a tiny bit of light in her eyes and some luster in her forehead gem, but she still looked rather drained as she sat in her appropriated throne, regarding the genuflecting Void Triad before her with stern but visibly tired eyes.

"I must thank you, both for gathering negative energy for me and making this castle somewhat livable, my Void Triad." Sardonyx's shadow was flickering on the wall behind her as she spoke. " _However-"_

Tourmaline tensed up at the 'however', not unlike a child readying herself for a harsh lecture from her parent. Sardonyx did not seem to notice.

"-in focusing on these matters, we have neglected another important one. The Celestial Orgel - have any of you at least pinpointed its whereabouts?"

Sardonyx's question drew a mumbled "No, Lady Sardonyx" from Agate and Selenite… and a louder "I have not… I deeply apologize, Lady Sardonyx" from Tourmaline.

None of the siblings noticed, but the shadow Sardonyx cast had done more than flicker for a moment there - it seemed to be tossing its head disdainfully as it regarded the Void Triad, even as its owner remained nigh-motionless.

"I see." Sardonyx responded after several moments of silence. "Then, if there is no indication of Pretty Cure having recovered it-"

Before Sardonyx had even finished her sentence, Tourmaline had looked up. "Lady Sardonyx, allow me to recover the Orgel for you. Alone. I can accomplish this on my own _quite_ easily."

" _Tourmaline_ …" Selenite muttered, glancing over at her twin.

Agate just offered his younger sister a pointed look, not that she noticed.

"Oh? So eager to volunteer, Tourmaline." You would have to strain to notice it, but Sardonyx was smiling, if only slightly. "Very well. Remember - do not disappoint me."

"Never, Lady Sardonyx." Tourmaline sported a very thin smile of her own as she vanished from the room, leaving a brief upward gust of wind in her wake.

* * *

Kohaku had returned to being stonily silent upon her return to Classroom 2-B. The taller girl acknowledged no one as she sat down at her desk and proceeded to stare out the window. Since Amane had yet to show up and so much as attempt to make friendly conversation, she remained like that until Nanami gently touched her on the shoulder.

"Kohaku…" she said quietly. "We can get started after school - I'm sure Yamaguchi-san will understand if I sit this first committee meeting out. We _will_ find it."

"Hm? Find what, exactly, Nagisa-san?"

Misaki and Taeko, the former of which was holding… some manner of rectangular device in her hand, were standing near Nanami's desk. It seemed the duo hadn't given up on learning about the two transfer students, judging by the way their eyes were glimmering as they regarded the two.

"Oh… it's just a lost item of mine." Nanami said. "It's nothing to trouble yourselves over."

"Duly noted, Nagisa-san." Misaki chirped. She… didn't seem to entirely buy Nanami's excuse and judging by the leery look Kohaku passed her way, the taller girl had immediately noticed this. "So, I… haven't formally introduced myself, have I? Misaki Saegusa - newspaper club reporter and magical girl expert! Nice to meet you!"

Misaki followed her introduction with a pose fitting of a magical girl, drawing a few giggles out of the few other girls who were in the classroom this morning. She didn't seem to care.

"Oh, oh, me too!" Taeko said. "Taeko Ichizaki - master swordswoman and hero enthusiast! Nice to meet you!" She also struck a pose, coming dangerously close to accidentally smacking Misaki - had the other girl not expertly stepped away seconds before - in the process.

"Taeko? Misaki? Who are you guys talking to, and why are you holding the phone like… you're doing poses again, aren't you?" said a voice from the device in Misaki's hand.

Misaki stopped posing. "Sure am, Sakkun! I'm doing an introduction for our mysterious transfer students, see?"

Misaki turned the device so its screen was facing Nanami. Said screen showed a gentle-looking boy of about fourteen or so, with short and thick blue-gray hair and green-gray eyes. He was wearing a black blazer with a shooting star emblem on the pocket and a blue striped necktie. As he looked into the camera, a passing-by boy gently punched him in the upper arm with a "Talking to your girlfriend again, Futaki-san?", leading Futaki to flush and mumble "Leave me alone".

"Oh… is that some manner of viewing screen you have there, Saegusa-san?" Nanami asked, drawing a baffled glance from Misaki and her two friends. "I can't say I expected that… or for portable models to… exist." She trailed off awkwardly, having noticed both the odd stares she was getting and the fact that Kohaku's hackles were raised slightly.

"Do they, uh, not have smartphones overseas, Nagisa-san?" Taeko asked. "That's kind of-"

"Are you making fun of Lady Nanami?" Kohaku asked testily, causing Taeko and Misaki, who clearly hadn't expected her to speak, to jump a bit.

"Tae-chan would never!" Misaki said indignantly, before noting how tense Kohaku still was and hastily changing the subject. "Ah… well, anyway, Sakkun, these two are Nanami Nagisa and Kohaku Shishioh - our mysterious transfer students! Nagisa-san, Shishioh-san, this is Sakuya Futaki, our third member!"

"Together, we make the Hero Club!" Taeko enthusiastically pumped her fist in the air. "Three life-long friends bound together by a love of heroes - and lately, our desire to learn more about the _real_ heroes in our midst."

"Pleased to meet you, Nagisa-san, Shishioh-san." Sakuya said. Then, to Taeko and Misaki "You two aren't badgering them for information, are you?"

"No!" said Misaki before she visibly deflated, having apparently sensed the skeptical look Sakuya was sending via her smartphone screen. "Yes… but it's for a good cause, Sakkun!" She looked around before dropping her voice to a level only those nearby could hear. "I mean, these two transferred in _right_ after Pretty Cure first showed up-"

"-so, one of you is Pretty Cure, right?" Taeko asked quietly. "It's fine - we know how heroes work. Your secret is fine with us."

Sakuya sighed heavily and facepalmed. "Guys, just because they transferred recently…"

Glances were exchanged between Nanami and Kohaku, both of which looked equal parts baffled and lost, before Nanami replied with "I'm sorry… I don't know what you're talking about. I've never heard of anyone called 'Pretty Cure' in my life."

"You two were at the scene when Yamaguchi-san was turned into a monster." Misaki said. "I have several people who can corroborate that statement - I interviewed them not long after everyone... recovered. The monster has some kind of knockout effect, apparently. How convenient."

"I saw Yamaguchi-san this morning, and she was clearly human." Nanami replied. "And besides… even if what you're saying did occur, even if there was a fight with a monster in the school courtyard, there would be some sort of proof, correct? It was completely intact when I saw it this morning."

"Magic, Nagisa-san." Misaki replied conspiratorially. "It's gotta be magic."

"Look, if you guys aren't Pretty Cure, you have to have at least _seen_ her!" Taeko all-but-shoved a notebook in Nanami and Kohaku's faces. The figure in the drawing appeared to be wearing a hideous car crash between Delphinus and Leo's outfits. "See? This is Pretty Cure, and this-" she added, turning to another page in her notebook to reveal a motorbike with a design that could best be described as a rainbow candy explosion "is an artist's concept of what Pretty Cure's bike looked like. Seem familiar?"

"Magical girls don't have bikes, Taeko." Misaki and Sakuya deadpanned in unison.

" _Listen-"_ Taeko started, before turning her attention back to Nanami and Kohaku "Nagisa-san, Shishioh-san, Misaki-chan confirmed you guys were witnesses to the fight at our school. So, tell me - she totally had a bike, didn't she? She totally rode in on it after Yamaguchi-san-"

And then Amane, now clearly out of breath, staggered into the classroom, drawing some stares and whispers from students among her and leading Taeko to cut herself off mid-sentence. The class representative was trying to seem utterly unperturbed as she walked towards her desk, but she wasn't doing a very good job of it, and once she noticed the way Misaki and Taeko were staring at her, all attempts at maintaining composure fell apart on her end.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, her tone slightly frantic. "Did I do something? Did homeroom end early and no one told me?"

"No, it's nothing like that!" Nanami said. "I'm sure everyone's just worried about how you're feeling, after yesterday." She cast a brief glance at Misaki and Taeko, who immediately nodded in agreement. Amane hardly seemed convinced by that one, leading Nanami to try for another tactic - changing the subject. "Anyway… Yamaguchi-san, what is Yuzuki Himi like? I ran into her this morning, and I'm rather interested in her."

If Nanami's intention had been to create a less awkward environment in the classroom, then she had failed horribly. The chatter in 2-B had grown slightly quieter, and Amane, Taeko, and Misaki were all staring at Nanami as if she had sprouted an extra pair of eyeballs. Even Sakuya seemed a little taken aback by what he had just heard.

"You're… interested in Himi-san?" Amane said.

"Yes?" Nanami replied. "Is something wrong? She seemed quite nice."

"I guess? She'd have to at least act that way, given who she is." Amane said. "But she's still scary! Do you know how much the Himi family is worth? They're rich enough to buy the entirety of Seizato twice over and still have money to spare! Rich enough to have their own cruise ship, their own private island, a helicopter fleet-"

* * *

"-people with that much wealth don't have time for us little people." Misaki informed Nanami as homeroom let out, and everyone pulled out their textbooks for the next class. "If she's nice, it's because she has to be. Otherwise, why would she let people like those three hang around?"

Misaki's comments stung, but Nanami did not let that show on her face. It wouldn't be right, especially with how tense Kohaku was looking now.

"Look, but don't touch, basically." Misaki continued. "That's how you've gotta be with people like Yuzuki Himi. Otherwise, your image of her will get totally ruined!"

* * *

'After all,' Taeko asserted in the note she passed to Nanami during English class, 'Himi-san has no friends, unless you count those parasites or Asahina-senpai and the sun is friends with like everyone in the school, so _she_ doesn't count. She could have thousands of friends if she wanted! But she doesn't. Because she doesn't like people, obviously.'

Nanami felt something gnaw in the pit of her stomach as she read the note. _That can't be what the people back home thought of me, right?_ She cast a glance over at Kohaku, who looked more pensive than ever. _And Kohaku… Kohaku wouldn't… but if I hadn't been royalty, we'd still-_

Nanami managed to pocket the note before Tamaki could notice what she was doing. Taeko wasn't so lucky.

"Guess we'll talk more later…" she muttered as Tamaki snatched her note away. Nanami barely noticed what she was saying.

* * *

"I'm sure you're amazing at many things, Nagisa-san!" Amane said as the two ran laps around the gym. "Just like Shishioh-san… very clearly is." she added, just as Kohaku, who was lapping the rest of the class twice over, passed the pair by. "But… there's being you guys' level of amazing, and there's Yuzuki Himi levels of amazing."

"What do you mean by that?" Nanami asked, trying to keep any hint of gloom out of her voice.

"Himi-san is perfect!" Amane barely missed crashing into another student as she continued running. Both she and Nanami were doing well, but next to Kohaku, they seemed like utter slowpokes. Then, most of the class did. "Perfect looks, perfect posture, the best grades in Sorairo three years running, the best archer _and_ the best student council president that Sorairo Academy has ever seen-"

"-on top of that, I heard she speaks seven languages, has swept competitions in five different fields, _and_ she owns a trophy collection that needs its own room!" Taeko added as she caught up to the pair, Misaki not far behind her.

"-there's no relating to someone like that, Nagisa-san." Misaki said. "She'd probably see it as an insect trying to cozy up to a goddess."

"I see…" Nanami responded, her tone slightly absent. She dropped out of running laps not soon after that. Trying to maintain a smile that she wasn't entirely feeling had drained a good deal of her energy reserves.

* * *

Yuzuki Himi certainly did have quite a reputation around Sorairo. The very second she walked into Classroom 3-A, all eyes were on her. The room immediately became abuzz with chatter, much of it comments on her appearance and gossip about what she had been up to lately, and yet no person in the room went near her. Even Aiko Akagi, Bunko Kijima, and Chieko Oume, who had spent the early morning sticking to her like glue, had moved to consulting amongst themselves, predominantly about what sorts of things they had on their 'wishlists' for this month. That was what Yuzuki Himi was to them, and she'd known it since they first met - a money dispensary.

"Ah… hello." Yuzuki said to one of the girls in the classroom, in a futile attempt to dispel the awkwardness that she always seemed to bring into a room.

Judging by how the other girl had immediately turned beet red, this hadn't seemed to work. "H-hello, Himi-san!" she replied, before scrambling off towards a few other students. Yuzuki could hear her squeal "She actually talked to me!" as she made her way to her desk.

It didn't hurt. None of it hurt. This was attention and admiration, and it was wrong to be ungrateful for such things, let alone even visibly perturbed by it. As a young woman born into the upper classes, Yuzuki had a certain standard of conduct to uphold, and that included keeping face even when distressed.

That was one of the earliest lessons that Yuzuki had learned, and it was one she would continue to hold herself to, she mused as she took out her phone and went over the numerous, very emoji-laden texts from the one person in this school who did treat her as a perfectly normal girl. At least the smile on her face in response was genuine.

Of course, as a member of the Himi family, she also had to excel at all things, and thus, Yuzuki pushed herself to do just that as the day went on, just as she always did. Her English pronunciation was top-notch, her mathematics skills were amazing, her historical knowledge proved to be absolutely pin-point, and once it came time for gym class, she proved that despite her delicate frame, she was an absolute legend when it came to the game of basketball as she handily scored multiple baskets for her side.

And as always, while her exploits brought many stares of admiration and words of adoration, they brought just as many looks of contempt and whispers of "Why does she always show off like this?" "She really does enjoy making us feel inferior, doesn't she?" And as always, no one, be it her admirers or her critics, seemed willing to get particularly close to her.

And Yuzuki quietly endured it, as was - as she had been taught since she was a small child - her lot in life… and she would have continued to do so during her lunch period, as she sat there, near her three admirers and yet completely ignored by them, had she not noticed Aiko whispering conspiratorially to Bunko and Chieko about 'taking care of that pest' before slipping out of 3-A.

* * *

Amane was dragged off by another, very frantic-looking classmate just as lunch period started, leaving Nanami and Kohaku to walk to the courtyard by themselves. There was a decided air of awkwardness between the two girls all the while. Both seemed like they wanted to say something, but neither of them seemed willing to speak.

As usual, it fell to Nanami to break the silence between the pair. "Kohaku, if there's anything else on your mind, you can tell me." Hypocritical, coming from her, but...

"Lady Nanami…"

Kohaku bit her lip uncomfortably, Selenite's words from the other day echoing in her mind as she considered whether to bring _that_ matter up to Nanami.

"It's…" The words died in her throat before she could force them out because she had no right, what if Nanami hated her for this, just as she'd hate her if she knew that- "It's simply-" she tried again, as the two approached the picnic table they had sat down at the other day. "Lady Nanami, I..."

"Look out!"

In a flash, someone - Robin Asahina, as it turned out - had launched herself towards Nanami, grabbing onto her arm before she could seat herself at the picnic table and before Kohaku could force any words out.

"What in the-" Nanami started, before she and Kohaku noticed the handful of tacks that had been seated on the bench. Before she could speak any further - to Robin, or Kohaku, who was frantically scanning the area for Nanami's would-be assailant with the look of a bodyguard who was thoroughly ready to retaliate at a moment's notice, Yuzuki came running towards the courtyard, fast as her legs could carry her.

"Akagi-san, don't you dare!" she yelled as she dashed in the group's direction… only to come to a sudden stop once she noticed Robin. "Erm… Robin? What are you doing?"

Robin gave no verbal answer, simply inclining her head in the direction of the tacks on the bench Nanami had been about to sit on, a sight that instantly drained the color from Yuzuki's face.

"Pardon me," Nanami said quietly "but your grip is… a little tight."

Robin flushed a bit at this. "Shoot! Um… _scusa_ , Nagi-chi." She sheepishly let go of Nanami's arm before looking around the courtyard. "Aka-chi… Yuzu and I both know you're out here. There's no point in hiding anymore."

After a moment of silence, Aiko Akagi stepped out from behind one of the trees in the courtyard. At first, she appeared nonplussed, but the moment she realized Yuzuki was there, her rusty red eyes widened in shock… before tearing up.

"Himi-san… I'm so sorry! It was Bunko and Chieko, _they_ put me up to this, and I- she was so _rude_ to you, and I was just so angry that I didn't _think-"_

Kohaku looked ready to snap Aiko in half if she had to. Judging by Nanami's solemn shake of the head the moment she looked over at her, that wouldn't be needed, but she was still clearly very tightly wound up right now.

Yuzuki was trying to appear stern, but the moment Aiko began crying, her resolve clearly faltered. "Akagi-san,that was an _accident_. This? Clearly was _not_. Do you realize what you could have done, had Robin not been in the area?"

Aiko immediately burst into tears. "H-Himi san! Please don't hate me… please don't hate us! I promise to leave her alone, I'll pass it on to Bunko and Chieko, just d-don't… you've been so good to us, Himi-san, _please_ _don't throw me away_!"

All attempts at being stern on Yuzuki's end had fallen apart. By now, the student council president looked downright apologetic, as if she had placed the tacks there herself.

"No, _I'm_ sorry, Akagi-san - please don't cry - I just… in the future, please don't hurt other people for my sake-"

Robin, who had appeared increasingly uncomfortable with this display from its inception, finally stepped forwards, taking her place besides Yuzuki and giving the other girl, who was trembling ever-so-slightly, a gentle squeeze of the hand before shifting her attentions to Aiko.

"I think it'd be best if you left for now." Robin said. She was smiling, but her eyes weren't.

Aiko looked like she wanted to say something, but the moment she caught Robin's eyes, she clearly thought better of it and slunk off. Robin didn't seem particularly sorry to see her go, and Kohaku seemed even less sorry about it, but Yuzuki appeared to be a completely different story. That was something Nanami couldn't ignore.

* * *

"I sincerely apologize for all of this." Yuzuki said quietly between bites of her lunch as she sat across from Nanami and Kohaku. Her eyes looked even stormier than before, and she was struggling to maintain eye contact with Nanami. "I thought I had those three under control, but because of my carelessness..." She dropped her gaze, her shoulders trembling slightly. "Hopefully, I took care of any further problems from them, but..."

"Yuzu, again, you don't have to keep them around." Robin told her fellow upperclassman, her tone both gentle and stern. Then, to Kohaku. "By the way, you holding up okay, Shishi-chi? Looking back, I probably came on a little too strong back then, and that's been weighing on me since last night, so-"

"I've already forgotten about it." Kohaku replied somewhat listlessly before returning to morosely picking at her lunch. "Thank you for your concern."

Yuzuki seemed every bit as morose as Kohaku. "I won't lie and say I'm fond of those three." she said. "But... I feel like if they're focused on pleasing me, I can keep them from hurting others. Besides, you saw how Akagi-san reacted when I told her off. I know how many people in this school regard me - if I rid myself of her and the other two, she could spin it as me bullying them, and everyone would believe it. And it would reflect terribly on my family if people saw me as that sort of girl."

Nanami froze mid-bite the moment Yuzuki said that.

 _As a princess, you are representing not only yourself, but the entirety of the royal family, Nerissa. Every action you make, the company you keep, the manner you conduct yourself in, all those things reflect on your lineage. Please never forget that._

"I'm so sorry, Nagisa-san." Yuzuki said. "I don't want you to be hurt. I will never allow any student in this school to be hurt if I can help it. But I'm not a normal girl, if you haven't been informed yet. As the only child of the Himi family, there are certain expectations I must uphold, and a reputation I must preserve. Even if it's not by choice-"

"-an inherited burden must be shouldered responsibly." Nanami finished. "It's alright, Himi-san - I was taught the exact same things growing up. It seems as if the two of us were raised in very similar circumstances."

Yuzuki's eyes widened a bit. "Ah... really? Might you be... I can't say I remember ever hearing about a Nagisa family, but then, Yamaguchi-san mentioned you were from overseas... unless 'Nagisa' is an assumed name? If so, I cannot say I blame you for wanting to leave behind..." She trailed off uncomfortably for a moment, before adding "In any case, it is oddly reassuring. I won't pry too much into your own circumstances, but it's nice to know that I'm not alone here."

Robin said nothing, but Nanami could tell that if 'the sun' could have given off light of her own, she would have downright blinded everyone by now, so elated was she at Yuzuki so much as finding common ground with another girl. Kohaku, on the other hand, just looked mildly uncomfortable and out of place.

"Anyway," Yuzuki continued, "as I said this morning, if there is anything I can do for you two, please feel free to ask. I owe you some debt of gratitude now, after what happened. I wouldn't be a true Himi if I didn't work to make amends."

"Just being able to spend time together would be lovely, Himi-san." Nanami's heart skipped a beat once she noticed the slight flush that had crept to Yuzuki's face. "But..." she added, having clearly noticed Kohaku's look of unease "Not today. There's something important Kohaku and I need to take care of this afternoon."

Glances were exchanged between Robin and Yuzuki before the two of them chorused "What do you need?", followed by both upperclassmen breaking down into a brief giggle fit once they realized what they had just done.

Without thinking, Nanami said "It's nothing of importance - we're just looking for something we lost somewhere in town."

Robin... very clearly felt otherwise about this matter, judging how she was leaning forwards, her eyes sparkling as Nanami spoke.

"Nothing of importance, Nagi-chi? I think not! I'd be honored to help a lovely girl like you go treasure-hunting - if Yuzu's game for it, of course!" She sounded like a child who had just been informed that she was going to Disney World. "That would be a marvelous way to spend this afternoon's date, is it not? A treasure hunt for a mystery item with our two mystery transfers in tow - sure would beat me taking you out to ice cream for the fifty-second time, don't you think?"

Now it was Nanami and Kohaku's turn to exchange glances.

"Excuse me," Nanami asked "but by 'date', you meant... might you two be lovers, by any chance?"

Both upperclassmen froze up awkwardly. Robin, who looked worried that she'd said something she really shouldn't have, muttered something like "...I thought they were also..." under her breath, while Yuzuki simply looked terrible uncomfortable for a few moments before she finally sputtered out a quiet "...is that alright?"

"Of course, it's alright!" Nanami said. Maybe it was a teensy bit disappointing, but then, there were many other fish in the sea! "Honestly, it's downright normal where I'm from." Perhaps it wasn't here? Oh dear, that was... slightly worrying. "I only like girls myself."

Kohaku muttered a quiet "...same."

Robin was nodding eagerly in agreement with this statement. "Same times two!"

Yuzuki seemed significantly more relaxed now. "Ah, really? It seems we have more in common than I thought." A pause, then "The answer is 'yes', by the way. I would be deeply honored to help you, as student council president… and as your schoolmate."

Robin, on the other hand, did not seem at all relaxed. No, she was very clearly hyped up right now. "Oh, same here! Definitely same! As the sun of Sorairo Academy, I'm here to brighten everyone's hearts - including those of our wonderful transfers!" She winked and made finger guns at the amused Nanami and the unperturbed Kohaku.

"Are you sure this is okay, Lady Nanami?" Kohaku asked as the group returned to eating lunch, taking advantage of Yuzuki and Robin chatting to one another... much more affectionately than before to consult with her princess. "Secrecy aside, those two…"

"I can't just tell them no after they were nice enough to volunteer themselves like that." Nanami replied quietly. "It'd hurt their feelings... and besides, I'm not entirely sure how long we can maintain strict confidentiality, anyway…"

Well, that, and she wanted a chance to get to know Yuzuki better, but that was a horribly selfish notion. So, Nanami decided to keep that to herself and return to eating her lunch, oblivious to the sizable flock of crows that were curiously regarding her and the others from their spot in the courtyard's trees.

* * *

Amane, as it turned out, was not at all upset by Nanami having to skip out on her first library committee meeting... because she had volunteered to spot the softball team that afternoon, since one of their members had ended up calling in sick before school.

"It happens sometimes!" she had said nonchalantly. "Things come up, things happen... I could never get upset at you for missing club meetings, not when I do stuff like this all the time. Hope things go well for both of us this afternoon, Nagisa-san!"

So, by the time Nanami arrived at the school gate, she was... well, she was still feeling rather awful, between Kohaku's obviously poor frame of mind and the fact that she'd ended up getting two civilians involved in their business because she was too polite and a bit too selfish to say 'no'. But still, she refused to show that on her face. She had no right.

Sirius, now back in their dog form was waiting not far outside the gate to Sorairo Academy. The very moment they saw Nanami and Kohaku, they dashed forwards. "So, I heard-"

" _Commozione_! Look at that dog!"

Robin, who was now carrying her practice sword in a bag slung across her back - Nanami could feel the jealousy coming off from Kohaku, who had deliberately placed herself a few feet away in waves at the sight of that one, even if the taller girl said nothing - had just shown up, her eyes glimmering as they took in the sight of Sirius.

"Well, they're-" Nanami began.

Robin hardly seemed to be listening - she was clearly itching to reach out and pet Sirius but was equally clearly leery of the potential consequences of bothering strange dogs, judging by the respectful distance she was maintaining.

"They're so beautiful! I love akitas so much, you have no idea, Nagi-chi, Shishi-chi. They're such good dogs - I mean, all dogs are good, but- What's their name? Are they yours? One of yours? Both? Can I pet them?"

Nanami and Sirius exchanged a split-second glance before the latter nodded ever-so-subtly. "Sirius is our dog, yes." Nanami mentally apologized for referring to the librarian in such a degrading fashion. "And you're perfectly welcome to-"

Robin needed no further encouragement. The very second Nanami had given her assent, she had closed the distance between herself and Sirius, crouching down beside them before eagerly running her hands through their soft and fluffy fur and vigorously scritching them behind the ears and on the head. Sirius certainly didn't seem averse to this but judging by the looks they shot in Pretty Cure's direction, even as they leaned into the ear scritches and petting, it really wasn't something they wanted to be doing right now.

Just a few moments later, Yuzuki finally made her appearance. She looked a bit pale in the face but otherwise quite composed.

"Oh geez... you okay, Yuzu?" Robin asked, abandoning fussing over Sirius the very second her girlfriend had showed up.

"Of course I am." Yuzuki said. "I... had some difficulties with those three, but it should be smoothed over now." she added. "Well, then, shall we go? You said earlier that you lost this treasure of yours 'somewhere in town', correct? Do you know where we could start?"

Nanami reached into her school bag and produced two identical maps "I have some idea of where it might be, but it's quite a wide area. You see, it was broken into quite a number of pieces." Please, please don't ask. "So perhaps it might be optimal if we split up into teams? Perhaps you and I could cover the downtown half of Seizato, Himi-san, and Kohaku and Asahina-san could cover the uptown-"

"Lady Nanami, I cannot leave you alone." Kohaku said firmly.

Nanami's mouth worked silently for a moment, clearly trying to find some way to protest what Kohaku was saying, before she fell silent, biting her lip. _It's what she wants to do. It's because you're her princess. Don't make it worse_.

"Understood, Kohaku. Asahina-san, I'm sorry, but-"

"Don't be sorry, Nagi-chi!" Robin gave Sirius one last scritch behind the ears before she sprang to her feet. "The sun is more than enough on her own, you know? Although... I guess I wouldn't mind borrowing Sirius, if that's okay with you guys? And them, of course."

Further glances were shared between Nanami and Sirius. "Please be careful with them, Asahina-san." Nanami said. "That's all I ask. Now, if that's all settled-"

"Wait just a sec!" Robin said before both groups could part ways. "Before we take off, could I have you guys' cell phone numbers?"

Nanami and Kohaku froze up simultaneously.

"...we don't have them." Kohaku said after several moments of awkward silence.

"Yes, we... appear to have forgotten them back home!" Nanami said. "It's something we plan to rectify posthaste. My apologies for the inconvenience."

"It's perfectly alright!" Yuzuki reassured the pair. "Robin, I always have mine with me, so since we'll be going together, it will be perfectly fine."

Robin had already pulled out her smartphone and dialed Yuzuki. "Roger, Agent Moonlight!" she said into it, drawing a double-take from her girlfriend. "C'mon, think about it - we're going on a treasure hunt for a mysterious artifact! Wouldn't it be fun to have codenames? And put it on speakerphone, Yuzu - then it's really like we've got those two-way radios. Can't have a treasure hunt without those! It's not right."

"I suppose that makes a certain amount of sense." Yuzuki, who clearly didn't think it made much sense but was too taken with Robin to care, said as she withdrew her own phone. "Then... duly noted, Agent Sunshine! I and-" She glanced at Nanami and Kohaku. "-any suggestions? I wouldn't want to impose."

"I'm certain that whatever you choose will be lovely, Himi-san." Nanami said.

Kohaku simply gave a non-committal shrug.

Yuzuki nodded. "Then I, along with Agents Bloom and Windy are ready to mobilize! Allow us to commence this glorious treasure hunt!"

And with that said, both teams parted ways, Robin and Sirius heading towards the train station and Nanami, Kohaku, and Yuzuki heading further downtown. Neither party noticed the sheer number of crows that had flocked in the trees in front of the school.

* * *

The first destination that Team Moonlight, as Robin had helpfully christened Yuzuki's side over the phone, had ended up hitting up was the beach off downtown Seizato. Under normal circumstances, Nanami would have taken this opportunity to relax, preferably with a book and a sweet dessert, but right now, she was a girl on a mission, and thus, she tried her best to ignore the smell of the ocean, the way the sand glinted beautifully in the sunshine, and the quizzical stares of the handful of beach-goers scattered about in order to focus on combing the beach for pieces of the Orgel, Nanami and Yuzuki close by one another and Kohaku a few yards away.

"If it is alright to ask..." Nanami said as she looked at the seashore, trying to use both any feelings of warmth from her Roaring Compact and her own two eyes as a guideline, "is what some of my classmates said true? About you having the private island and everything." A pause, then "Believe me, I don't mean that in a judgmental fashion. My own family owns some rather ostentatious things themselves."

"It's all true, yes." Yuzuki paused thoughtfully as she picked up a small pink cowrie shell, pocketing it before returning to searching for shards of the Orgel. "Well, the trophy room is a slight exaggeration, but otherwise..." She sighed heavily. "It's not as if I don't appreciate such things, or that I'm not grateful for having the good fortune to possess them. But they're all people like Akagi-san see when they talk to me. Those three have never been particularly subtle about hiding it either."

"With all due respect, I can't stand people like them." Nanami's slight smile of triumph as she retrieved a shard of the Orgel a bit further down the beach rapidly dissolved once the matter of Aiko Akagi et al. was brought up. "I don't mind them getting angry at me... not that much. I've had worse. But the way they acted like they were looking out for your personal dignity, even as they did nothing to help you-" She was shaking slightly in indignation as she spoke "It utterly disgusted me!"

Yuzuki shook her head sadly in the face of Nanami's indignation. "There's no need to be offended on my behalf, I promise." she said. "It's not unusual at all, having people like them attach themselves to me. I have been dealing with such opportunists since I was a small child. It's nothing new."

Nanami paused uncomfortably, even as she placed yet another shard of the Orgel in her school bag. "That's something I'm quite familiar with." She was unaware that Kohaku was within earshot as she spoke. "Both the blatantly opportunistic types, and... truth be told, I'm very fond of my serving staff, and many of my... of the people in my immediate social sphere, but I often wonder if they'd be so kind to me if I wasn't who I was. If it wasn't their obligation to please me... or for some of them, if I had nothing they could use."

Kohaku's eyes darkened the moment Nanami said that. _Lady Nanami... is that how you see our relationship?_

"Yeah..." Yuzuki stared out at the ocean. "And then the other people, the ones outside those spheres, they're too intimidated to go near you. And it's... I'm alright with that in the end, I understand it's my lot in life, but sometimes, it does get a bit..."

Before Yuzuki could say anything further, Kohaku cleared her throat loudly, causing her and Nanami to jump slightly.

"Lady Nanami... I apologize for interrupting your discussion, but I'd like to let you know that I have secured... quite a few pieces of our... treasure." Kohaku brandished a few broken pieces of the Orgel. She appeared to be even more stiff than usual, making Nanami's heart sink. "How is progress on your end?"

"I believe I've done quite well for myself." Nanami gestured towards her schoolbag, where she had stowed all the shards she had collected so far.

"I think I found one as well?" Yuzuki presented a pink and gold shard of her own. Before she could say anything further, her phone went off. "Ah... hello? Agent Sunshine?"

"This is Agent Sunshine, yes! Do you read me, Agent Moonlight?" Robin sounded as if she was jogging down a street somewhere, and if you listened carefully, you could hear Sirius' paws pattering alongside her own footfalls.

"This is Agent Moonlight, reading you loud and clear." Yuzuki said as she and her underclassmen engaged in further beachcombing... and she tried to ignore the stares leveled in her direction. "Agent Bloom and Agent Windy have successfully secured several pieces of the item of interest." Yuzuki paused, clearly casting about for whatever weird secret agent script Robin was sticking to before she added "Um... requesting mission update, please!"

"Secured three pieces of the unknown object thanks to the cooperation of Agent Etoile!" Sirius, Nanami surmised. "They have proven to be quite the asset and ah-" Robin could be heard panting heavily, and Sirius could be heard growling softly in the background. "Crows appear to be following us!"

"Crows are following you, Asa- Agent Sunshine?" Nanami inquired as the group moved on from the beach, having apparently exhausted the location of pieces of the Orgel.

" _Giusto_ , Agent Bloom! Crows are indeed following me!" Robin sounded equal parts amused and upset by this. "One attempted to snatch of the pieces out of my hand before Agent Etoile chased it off!" You could hear a fluttering of wings and a quiet 'Oh, god damn it' in noticeably-drawling English before "Agent Etoile seems to confirm we're done here! Moving on! Good luck!"

And with that, Robin hung up, leaving Yuzuki, Nanami, and Kohaku, each of which looked terribly worried for their own reasons to travel to their next destination. There were more crows collecting in the trees as the three girls moved on and away from the beach. They appeared to be consulting among themselves before taking wing.

* * *

The search progressed well, as far as Nanami could tell. Every location that Team Moonlight hit up, from the area around the space museum, to the outside perimeter of Starry Sky Park, to the bushes near Seizato's business district, turned up fruit. Judging by the occasional updates via Robin, Team Sunshine was doing quite well for themselves as well... although Robin's frequent mentions of unwanted attentions from crows was beginning to weigh on Yuzuki quite heavily.

Nanami was also a bit perturbed by it, truth be told. As the group idled near a strip of shops in the business district of Seizato, trying to ignore the number of people pointing at Yuzuki, who was at least trying to seem completely unperturbed by what was going on, she glanced upwards, spotting some more crows gathering in the trees, frowning slightly at the way they seemed to be regarding the group.

"Lady Nanami?" Kohaku asked as she fell into step with her princess. "Are you alright?"

"There were all those rabbits the other day..." Nanami muttered. "What if..." And if she was right, she mused, her heart sinking a little bit, that would mean... "Kohaku? Are you certain you don't wish to accompany Asahina and Sirius?"

"Do you not trust me?" Kohaku asked, stiff and listless as ever.

"No, it's just-" Nanami started. "I... you're my-"

" _Bodyguard_." Kohaku responded before returning to combing the area for shards of the Orgel.

"Kohaku, listen-" Nanami started, chasing after the taller girl... only to falter once she realized that she was ignoring her, or at least giving her the cold shoulder.

"Let's focus on what's important, Lady Nanami." Kohaku said quietly, as she retrieved another shard from a nearby bush... and immediately jumped backwards as a crow dove from a tree, before proceeding to repeatedly dive at her as it tried to snatch it out of her hand.

"Hey! Stop bothering her! Get out of here! Shoo!" Yuzuki shouted in a tone more appropriate to a mother telling off a disobedient child as she frantically waved her arms in the crow's direction until it finally took wing. "Sorry..." she told the crow as it landed besides its friends, looking as disappointed as a crow could possibly look. "It probably just wanted it for its nest." she told Nanami and Kohaku. "I hope it understands I meant no harm - they do hold grudges, after all."

As she spoke, some passers-by pointed at the three girls... or rather at Yuzuki, as they seemed to see right through Nanami and Kohaku, snickering to themselves.

"Isn't that Yuzuki Himi?" one of them asked. "Never thought I'd see such a high-class girl acting like that."

"Seems that way." the other said. "Funny, I thought she'd have actual dignity to spare."

Nanami started forwards, clearly ready to open her mouth to protest in Yuzuki's defense, only for the older girl to lay a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay." she said quietly. "It's not worth it at all. Let's move on."

* * *

By the time Team Moonlight had finally doubled back to the woods near Sorairo Academy, they had amassed quite a handsome collection of shards... and had been attacked by a good number of crows, forcing Yuzuki to chase them off before they could make off with any shards. They had also attracted a fair amount of unwelcome attention - no one said anything, not to Yuzuki's face, but it was clear that they were coming to stare at her, just for the novelty of it.

"I'm used to people talking about me right in front of my face, don't worry." Yuzuki said as the group made their way through the hiking trail that weaved through the woods, the three of them occasionally stopping to alternately retrieve the pieces of the Orgel they happened upon or glance upwards at the branches, clearly watching for any sudden movements from birds in the area. "A good many people around town see me as a doll with no feelings, past what they project on me. I suppose that was novel for them."

Nanami frowned as her mind went back to her days back in Illuster, days when she was ordered to tone dpwm certain aspects of her own behavior - her tendency to rush off by herself, her deeper emotional displays, her manner of carrying herself, all because people had certain expectations for what their princess should be. "Doesn't make it right."

Yuzuki said nothing for a moment, simply stopping to listen to the rustling of wings around her for a moment or two before speaking up.

"If I might ask..." she said, clearly changing the subject to something less awkward for her "what are you two to one another? Robin thought you might have been involved. If she was mistaken, I apologize on her behalf."

"I'm her servant." Kohaku said bluntly, even as she moved to help Nanami over a nearby tree root. Nanami... didn't need the help but accepted it anyway. Doing otherwise would cause problems, after all.

"We're very close friends." Nanami said. "Kohaku's family has served us for years, yes, but we were childhood playmates, and her mother..." Nanami smiled fondly. "Well, her mother and mine have always been quite close. Kohaku's mother is practically an aunt to me, really. She's an amazing woman."

Kohaku deliberately fell behind the group the moment she heard her mother being discussed, just so Nanami wouldn't see how sick she felt simply by hearing her princess discuss Alexandria in such glowing terms.

Yuzuki sighed quietly. "Honestly, I'm a bit jealous. I never had any playmates my age growing up."

"It didn't really count-" Kohaku said quietly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel like-" Nanami started, only for Yuzuki to shake her head sadly.

"I didn't say that to guilt you." Yuzuki said gently. "I can't go back and change the past. And I can't run away from my obligations. I used to fantasize about Robin taking me back to America with her, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't envy you a bit, Nagisa-san, but I know, I can't do that, a person of my bloodline has obligations, I _know_ -"

Even as she spoke, even as Yuzuki reassured the pair that she was alright repeatedly, the older girl's voice sounded slightly cracked. Even if she was trying to hide it, she was clearly on the verge of tears.

"Is it easier for you, Nagisa-san? It is a relief, not having people look twice at you? Did they get angry when you weren't their doll? Did you worry about what having your reputation damaged could do to you? Did you have to put up with people you dislike? Are you..."

Now it was Nanami's turn to place a gentle hand on Yuzuki's shoulder. "Himi-san..."

"They don't know. You're just another girl to them. I'm... how I wish I could have that..." she said quietly. "How disgusting of me."

And then Yuzuki's phone went off once more. Immediately, the student council president swallowed back the tears that had been threatening to well up to answer it.

"Agent Moonlight! Come in Ag- Yuzu! Are you there?" Robin's usually cheery tone had given way to a downright frantic one, and judging by the sound of multiple swooping wings, punctuated by the sounds of Sirius snapping and growling, she had ample reason to sound that way.

"Robin?" Yuzuki replied, her eyes widening in fear. "Robin, what's going on?"

"It's the crows!" Robin said... just as multiple crows began to settle on the trees overlooking Yuzuki, Nanami, and Kohaku. "They're... the second we got enough of those pieces, every tree in the residential district-" The sound of one flying dangerously close to Robin could be heard. "It's alright, I've got a sword!" Then, to what was clearly some unseen black, feathery target or fifty "Have at you! I'm not afraid! The sun fears nothing!"

Yuzuki looked as baffled as Nanami looked mildly horrified. "That isn't... that's definitely not normal." she said to herself. "Robin! Please be gentle with them! They hold grudges - you wouldn't want to spend the rest of our dates hiding from every crow in Seizato, would you?"

"Wh-what am I supposed to do, Yuzu?!" More and more strain was creeping into Robin's words. "Even the sun can't-"

Before Robin could say anything more, she was cut off, by what sounded like something knocking the phone out of her hand. Nanami heard a far-away "Oh, god damn it!" in drawling English, and then. Silence.

Yuzuki looked as pale as a sheet as she lowered her phone. "Nagisa-san, Shishioh-san, I'm sorry, but I need to go. She's my partner - I can't leave her alone!"

Yuzuki took off, as quickly as her legs could carry her. Nanami, who looked no less perturbed promptly fell into step with Yuzuki, trying to ignore the chorus of _your fault, your fault, if you had the nerve to tell them no_ in the back of her mind.

"We'll go with you - this definitely isn't something I can ignore." she said.

Kohaku said absolutely nothing, although, true to form, she was following a pace or so behind Nanami, occasionally casting glances at the nearby flocks of crows, who were regarding the group keenly but otherwise doing very little.

The girls only made it a few paces.

Without warning, Yuzuki's foot caught on something sticking up out of the ground, and she went pitching forwards. Before she could hit the ground, Kohaku rushed towards her, expertly catching her in her arms.

"There I go again..." Yuzuki sighed sadly as she extricated herself from Kohaku's grasp. Forget a run in her tights - the student council president had a noticeable hole down the side of one of them. She didn't seem to notice or care. "At least no one's here to be offended on my behalf this..."

Yuzuki trailed off, her eyes widening slightly as she and Pretty Cure realized what she had tripped over. It was the Orgel... or at least a good chunk of it, partly buried in the forest clearing. She hesitated at first, clearly weighing the costs of pausing to do anything that wasn't catching up to her girlfriend, before she shook her head and began digging the damaged Orgel out of the ground. Nanami and Kohaku wasted no time in dropping to the ground and assisting her with this task.

Soon enough, the Orgel was unearthed. It looked to be in truly terrible shape, between the dirt clinging to it, the small cracks running through its form, and the fact that it was missing most of its lid, a sorry contrast to the proud heart of Illuster it had once been, but that didn't matter to Nanami. It was here. It could be fixed. They could set to restoring the Rainbow Melody in earnest. She couldn't wait to show Sirius... assuming Sirius was alright, that was.

Kohaku clearly didn't share Nanami's enthusiasm in the slightest. She said nothing, but she didn't have to - Nanami could clearly tell that she was internally agonizing over how badly damaged the Orgel was and wondering if there was any repairing it.

"It's okay. I told you - we _will_ fix it." Nanami reached over and gave Kohaku's hand a gentle squeeze. Kohaku didn't respond.

"If I may ask... in the world is this?" Yuzuki asked as she stared down at the Orgel, which she now held in her hands. "It looks like a music box but-"

Before Nanami or Kohaku could respond, the sky above the three girls grew darker, as numerous winged shadows passed overhead them, and the forest was filled with the throaty cries of crows. As the three girls sprang to their feet, each of them now on high alert, they were greeted with the sight of a multitude of crows, many of which held a pink and gold shard in their talons. If Yuzuki had looked pale as a sheet before, she was certainly finding a way to look even paler now, given what this implied.

Seconds after the crows appeared, Tourmaline descended from her perch in a nearby tree, her visible eye shining with equal parts malice and triumph as she gracefully touched down in front of the group.

"Amazing." she said. "Not only did you gather the Orgel for me, you even brought me raw materials to work with." On 'raw materials', she cast a pointed glance at Yuzuki, her visible eye glinting ever-so-slightly. "You're even stupider than I thought."

Nanami wordlessly pulled out her Roaring Compact - clearly beating Kohaku, who was gearing up to protest her involvement again, to the punch.

"Himi-san, please run." Nanami kept her eyes on Tourmaline as she spoke. "I'm sure you can catch up with Asahina-san if you hurry."

Yuzuki took off, holding the broken Orgel to her chest. She didn't make it very far before Tourmaline snapped her fingers, and a circle of blue runes appeared at Yuzuki's feet, binding her in place. Before Nanami or Kohaku could move to stop her, Tourmaline summoned a strong gust of wind, knocking both girls off their feet, before she swept past them in a fluid motion, appearing directly before Yuzuki.

"Hand over the Orgel." she said. "That's not a request."

Yuzuki responded by... laughing in Tourmaline's face. "Oh, _really_?" she said disdainfully, sounding for all the world like the snotty, self-obsessed girl that a section of Sorairo's student body seemed to think she was. "You think I, the scion of the Himi family, would take orders from _you_? Don't flatter yourself."

Even as Yuzuki spoke, she was trying to communicate 'please get out of here' with her eyes to Nanami and Kohaku, who were re-steadying themselves on their feet, best as she could. They did not budge.

Tourmaline answered Yuzuki's disdainful response with a disdainful 'tch' of her own. "Wrong answer." She extended her right hand out towards Yuzuki. "Roaring Spark! Come forth!"

Just as before, Yuzuki's eyes widened in pain as she felt her Roaring Spark about to be ripped out of her chest. Unlike before, Yuzuki had just enough strength left to do one more thing before her Roaring Spark could be torn out - she threw the Orgel as hard as she could towards Nanami, who caught it expertly.

Yuzuki's Roaring Spark emerged, blackened, and sunk back into her chest. A dark violet sphere of energy surrounded her form, growing increasingly larger until it dissipated, revealing an immense china doll, with the same flowing, dark violet hair as Yuzuki, and a cracked pale white face with empty, gold eyes and blackness seeping through said cracks. It wore a fancy-looking kimono trimmed with gold filigree, with overly-long sleeves and a dark blue gem ornamenting its obi, and its movements were jerky and robotic.

"You won't leave, no matter how many times I ask, will you?" Kohaku said quietly, even as she readied her Roaring Compact.

"I can't leave you alone." Nanami replied, readying her own Roaring Compact. "Just like I can't leave Himi-san alone."

"Medal, set! Pretty Cure, Roaring Rebirth!"

"Guardian of the ocean that blooms with life! Blossom Knight, Cure Delphinus!"

"Guardian of the wind that sweeps through the plains! Tempest Knight, Cure Leo!"

"The two of us are Pretty Cure!" Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo chorused.

"Those who cruelly meddle with the hearts of others-" Cure Leo said, pointing a finger at Tourmaline.

"We'll put a stop to your actions at once!" Cure Delphinus said, following suit.

Tourmaline looked utterly unimpressed by the speech the two Cures had just rattled off. "Prattle all you want." she said coolly "but the advantage is mine this time." The numerous crows in the area launched into a cacophony of caws after Tourmaline spoke, as if they were backing up her words. "Utsuroid!"

Yuzuki's Utsuroid gave a scream of anguish as it jerkily staggered towards the pair, sweeping wildly at them with one of its over-long sleeves. Immediately, both Cures leapt backwards and out of the way. Delphinus retaliated against the Utsuroid's blow with a burst of water fired from her free hand, only for her attack to freeze solid upon contact with the Utsuroid, which batted the resulting chunk of ice towards her.

Before the ice chunk could hit Delphinus, Leo leapt forwards, slicing through it with an energy sword before rounding on Tourmaline, who was attempting to take advantage of the hole in Delphinus' guard and snatch the Orgel away from her. Tourmaline attempted to intercept her several times, but Leo cut her off at every turn, even as Delphinus tried to engage the Utsuroid in combat.

Intercepting Tourmaline clearly took effort on Leo's end. The Void Triad member was clearly faster than she was by more than a few degrees, forcing Leo to struggle to catch up before Tourmaline could get too close to Delphinus. And if intercepting Tourmaline was a struggle, getting a hit on her was borderline impossible. The orange Cure was aiming a volley of fisticuffs at Tourmaline, but the Void Triad member was expertly dodging each blow without breaking a sweat.

"She's fast!" Leo grimaced as she aimed another flurry of punches at Tourmaline.

"Or perhaps you're too slow?" Tourmaline responded with a flippant grin as she expertly sidestepped Leo's attacks.

Delphinus, meanwhile, was not having the easiest time against Yuzuki's Utsuroid. Not only did she have to fight it one handed, her water powers were useless against something that could freeze them solid and turn them against her. Still, she told herself as she landed a few yards away from the Utsuroid, steeling herself as Leo struggled to buy her time, she had to find a way to take it down, or at least weaken it enough to where Leo could help her finish it off.

"I never asked for this..." The Utsuroid's form slumped, and its neck jerked at a downright uncanny angle as it regarded Delphinus with its empty gold eyes. "I never asked for these burdens!"

As it yelled, the temperature in the surrounding area dropped noticeably, and a chill wind kicked up, causing the trees in the forest to shake and the crows perching on said trees to begin loudly panicking.

"Himi-san..." Delphinus frowned sympathetically, even as she geared up to attack.

The pink Cure leapt backwards and launched herself forwards off a nearby tree, using the resulting momentum to aim a high leaping kick directly at the Utsuroid's chest. It connected in a burst of pink light, sending it wheeling backwards, but it wasn't enough to unseat it.

"Why yes, I'm fortunate. Why yes, there are so many privileges I enjoy." the Utsuroid said as it steadied itself, as best as something as horribly unsteady as it happened to be could. "And yet... and yet... I can never be myself! I always have to fulfill their expectations! A princess, a doll, never _me_! I want people to see _me_! I... I'm..."

As Yuzuki's Utsuroid spoke, the temperature in the surrounding air dropped lower and lower. Frost began to form on the trees in the forest, and the crows finally gave up on sticking around as the branches beneath them warped and snapped, and leaves began to fall off their perches. In a panic, they all took wing, dropping the shards of the Orgel they had collected in the process. Even Tourmaline seemed to be affected by the temperature drop in the area. It was not to quite a degree as Leo, who was having more and more trouble fending her off as it grew colder, but it was still enough to slow her down enough to where Leo was able to graze her on the side with one of her punches.

"You-" Tourmaline gasped, clearly caught off guard by Leo being able to touch her at all, before she rounded on the Utsuroid. "What do you think you're doing?!"

The Utsuroid didn't seem to hear her. It seemed bothered by nothing, not Tourmaline's protestations, and certainly not Delphinus' attempts to attack it, which repeatedly ended in failure. Not only was using water not an option, getting too close to it was sending jolts of numbness through her body, making it far too easy for it to nonchalantly smack her away before any of her punches or kicks could connect, even as the chill in the surrounding air grew in intensity.

"I'm so jealous of Nagisa-san!" the Utsuroid screamed as an immense number of razor-sharp ice crystals manifested around it, clearly training on Delphinus.

In the split-second that followed, Delphinus realized she had one of two choices - she could get out of the way and make it easier for Tourmaline to take the Orgel away from her, something Tourmaline was very clearly banking on happening, or she could pass the Orgel to Leo and take the brunt of the attack. She chose the latter. And why not? She had to do anything she could to protect the lifeblood of her kingdom.

Right after Delphinus tossed the Orgel to Leo, she crossed her arms in defensively in front of her. "For their sake..." she whispered as she readied herself for what was certain to be a world of pain. "I will not give up!"

Unfortunately, Leo clearly had other ideas. The very second after Delphinus tossed Leo the Orgel, which she caught easily, the orange Cure realized what was about to happen to her princess. Leo dove in front of Delphinus, attempting to deflect the rain of ice shards with her cape. She failed miserably at this, with numerous ice shards breaking through her guard and battering her form. In the process, her grip on the Orgel slipped, causing it to fly from her grasp and land a few feet away.

"Leo, why did you-" Delphinus started.

"You're my princess. _That will never change_." Leo said through a haze of pain. She sounded like she was actively trying to convince herself of this - it seemed the words Yuzuki's Utsuroid had been spouting were getting to her. No sooner had she said that than she realized that she'd lost the Orgel yet again. "No... stupid, I'm so _stupid_!" she hissed as she forced herself to her feet and leapt forwards past Delphinus-

-only to get a high-pressure burst of wind to the stomach for her trouble, leaving her doubled over in pain. As Tourmaline effortlessly sped past the now-incapacitated Leo, she was met with a blast of water from Delphinus, which rapidly turned to ice, given the chill wind blowing all around them. Tourmaline easily sliced through it a blade of razor wind from her hand before sending the pink Cure flying aside with a backhand punch.

"This is how it ends." Tourmaline said triumphantly as she grabbed hold of the Orgel, a malicious smile on her face. "You two will _never_ have your precious kingdom back."

Tourmaline's triumph was very short-lived. Mere moments after she had said that, the Orgel began to glow white-hot in her hands. Even then, she refused to put it down. Instead, she gritted her teeth in pain as she attempted to summon her usual teleportation runes through the agony of what felt like holding onto molten metal.

This proved to be a terrible mistake. The Orgel shone with intense light, sending a wave of unbearable pain through every inch of Tourmaline's form before she was sent flying backwards away from the Orgel. She sagged weakly against a nearby tree, her eyes looking even deader than usual as her chest rose and fell raggedly. A few times, she attempted to get up, but this was all for naught. She couldn't seem to make herself move.

Even Yuzuki's Utsuroid seemed momentarily stunned by what had just gone on. Leo wasted no time in taking advantage of the opening once she managed to recover. She aimed a leaping slash at the gem on its obi with another energy sword, apparently completely unconcerned by the chilly aura it was still giving off. The moment her attack connected, and the gem cracked, the Utsuroid jerked backwards, the temperature in the air growing perceptibly warmer in the process.

Now it was Delphinus' turn to get her second wind. She knocked the Utsuroid off its feet with a flying kick before touching down besides Leo in a shower of pink sparkles. Being weakened, and naturally unsteady, the Utsuroid easily slouched to the ground. "Pretty Cure! Blossom Cascade!"

Leo immediately followed suit. "Pretty Cure! Tempest Fang!"

The two attacks converged and hit the Utsuroid, leading the gem on its obi to shatter as its form began to glow.

"So warm…" the Utsuroid said, as it gave off multicolored energy, which flowed towards Delphinus and Leo's Roaring Compacts, before its form resolved into that of an unconscious but unharmed Yuzuki, whose Roaring Spark, pristine and shining once more, sunk back into her chest as she laid prone on the ground.

And once again, as Cure Delphinus rushed to check up on the unconscious victim, Cure Leo seemed to care much more about their opponent, who was pulling herself weakly in the direction of the Orgel, despite the utter agony such an act was clearly causing her. Even Delphinus found herself unable to ignore such a sight for long, although she clearly felt quite differently about it than Leo did - where the latter looked rather contemptuous, the former looked utterly horrified.

"Lady... Sardonyx..." Tourmaline hissed in pain as she pulled herself forwards towards the Orgel. "I will... for Lady Sardonyx, I will..."

 _Tourmaline, that's enough. Fall back._

Unlike before, Tourmaline did not seem to notice or care about Sardonyx's orders, even as they rang loud and clear in her head.

"Have to..." Tourmaline forced herself to her feet and moved towards the Orgel, staggering as unsteadily as Yuzuki's Utsuroid had mere moments before. "My life for you, Lady Sardonyx. _My life for you_!"

 _This is not a request, Tourmaline!_

"Please stop!" Delphinus cried, abandoning Yuzuki's side to hurry towards her enemy. Before Tourmaline could go any further - and risk falling over in the process, Delphinus put out a hand, steadying her. "If you keep going like this, you'll-"

Tourmaline slapped Delphinus' hand away. "I don't need your pity!"

Before Delphinus could say anything more, Tourmaline teleported away, leaving an upward gust of wind in her wake.

"Serves her right." Leo reverted to Kohaku in a flash of orange light as the damage inflicted by the fight faded away. "Hopefully that's the last we see of her."

Delphinus, who reverted to Nanami in a flash of pink light right afterward, had nothing to say to that.

* * *

Tourmaline wasn't sure how she was still alive by the time she returned to base. Moving through the entrance hall seemed to take every single bit of concentration she had. Every breath, every step, every motion, was pure agony. Her vision blurred, her form felt as if it was being pulled apart simultaneously, and her feet felt as if they were stepping on white-hot coals. Still she pushed onward. She had to. It didn't matter if she was injured. It didn't matter if it might cost her life. If she could not help Lady Sardonyx-

-and before she could force herself further onwards, someone - Agate, she realized, even with her blurred vision - caught her in his arms and held her tightly, keeping her from advancing.

"Let me go." she hissed, struggling against Agate's grasp. "I have to... for Lady Sardonyx, I have to-"

"You need to rest." Agate said firmly.

Tourmaline's response was to struggle against her older brother's grasp. "I failed... I failed Lady Sardonyx, I have to see her, I need to-"

Agate did not budge. "Lady Sardonyx outright ordered you to fall back."

"But-" Tourmaline was still struggling, but more weakly now. "But I-"

"Tourmaline, please stop!" Now it was Agate's turn to look distressed. "I can't bear to see you like this!" As he felt Tourmaline's struggling die down, he added "Listen - there will be other times. Other chances. More things we can do for her. Things that don't require my little sisters throwing their damn lives away."

Tourmaline had ceased struggling. Her form was trembling slightly, hot tears rolling down her cheeks and soaking the front of Agate's tunic.

"I just wanted her to look at me!" She was so disgusted with herself, right now, a proud warrior of the Void Clan being reduced to a pitiful child sobbing in her big brother's embrace, and yet, she couldn't bring herself to care as much about this as she should have, not right now. "Big bro..."

"Shhhh... it's alright, little sis. It's alright." It was not alright, judging by the rather pained look in Agate's eyes, even as he gently patted his sobbing little sister on the back, but she didn't need to know that. She'd go back to pretending she didn't care once this was over anyway. That was how it was with Tourmaline. Always the chronically overcompensating middle child, that one. "C'mon, let's get you a place to rest."

Tourmaline sniffled and nodded as she pulled away from Agate's embrace, her dull gold eyes now rimmed red. She said nothing more as she let Agate guide her to a bedchamber, leaning on him for support all the while. She couldn't muster the energy for it.

* * *

It wasn't necessary to find Robin and Sirius at all, as it turned out. No, Team Sunshine ended up finding Team Moonlight themselves. A few moments after Yuzuki had recovered - and immediately insisted on helping Nanami and Kohaku pick up the Orgel's broken pieces, despite her weakened state, the three had heard footsteps rushing towards them and then-

"Yuzu! Oh my god, are you a sight for sore eyes!"

There stood Robin Asahina, with Sirius following closely at their heels. Both parties looked a little banged up, but otherwise none the worse for wear.

"Robin!" Yuzuki immediately sprang towards her girlfriend, who effortlessly picked her up off her feet and spun her around, as if the latter was made of air and wasn't the exact same height as she was, before planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'm so glad." She pulled Robin into a tight hug the very second her girlfriend put her down, her eyes welling up with tears. "God, I was so _worried_."

"H-hey now, I'm the sun!" Robin told Yuzuki... even as she too appeared to be tearing up. "As if some weird crow army could stop the sun! Although..." she added sheepishly "I uh, might have let my guard down a little once you told me about them holding grudges. The thought of them ruining future dates with you was too much to bear, alas!" She broke into half-dramatic, half-sincere sobs.

"You ridiculous fool." Yuzuki broke from her embrace with Robin to plant a gentle kiss of her own on her girlfriend's cheek, causing the latter to flush beet red. "I love you."

Sirius had said nothing as they'd rushed up to Nanami and Kohaku, who were making sure every shard of the Orgel was accounted for, and that the rest of the Orgel was reasonably intact. They didn't need to say anything - the unspoken 'is that the Orgel?" was clear as day in their body language. Once Nanami returned their unspoken inquiry with a nod, they weren't just wagging their tail - they seemed to be wagging their entire body with joy.

"I'm sorry for getting you dragged into this." Nanami said after she'd accounted for every piece of the Orgel, dropping into an apologetic curtsy. "Had I known it would get this bad-"

Kohaku said nothing, simply standing back and looking aside. She clearly wanted to be somewhere, anywhere else right now.

"Don't worry, Nagi-chi!" Robin said. "I had fun! I mean, I'm... extremely confused about the crows and the broken music box scattered all over town, and why I somehow knocked out for a second when I tried to enter the forest but! It was nice! Ten out of ten, would love to have a wild adventure again. Maybe alongside you next time?" she added to Yuzuki. "Then it can be a proper date."

Yuzuki looked a bit puzzled at Robin's mention of 'knocking out'. "That's odd... this is all very odd." She keenly regarded Nanami and Kohaku for a moment before adding "I feel like there's a lot you aren't telling me. But I'm not the type to badger people about what they don't want to disclose." Then, to Robin "Nor am I the type to squander a dating opportunity." she said. "I don't think I have it in me for another adventure. But there's always one of the restaurants in the area, or a movie, or... honestly, I would love a fifty-third round of ice cream."

"Actually," Nanami said, "if it's alright, might I make a suggestion?"

* * *

There weren't many people at Shooting Star at this point in the day, meaning that Nanami, Kohaku, Robin, and Yuzuki had the entire place practically to themselves. Three out of four girls were happily enjoying a cup of hot cocoa decorated with the cafe's signature star-shaped marshmallows - the fourth, Kohaku, was insistently blowing on it - and Yuzuki and Robin were splitting a pastry between the two of them.

Sirius, meanwhile, was holed up in one of the upstairs bedrooms - they had wanted to look at the Orgel, preferably away from everyone else, in their natural form. "It's a bit hard to pull off a lot of things with paws." they'd explained before shooting upstairs not long after the group had arrived at Shooting Star.

"Delicious! _Perfezionare_!" Robin exulted as she took another bite of her pastry. "My compliments to the chef! And Nagi-chi - small wonder you and Yuzu get along! You both have excellent taste!"

"Appreciate the honors, but there's no need to be so loud." Tsubasa groused from her spot behind the counter, massaging her temple a bit as she fixed Robin with a sharp glance. "Asahina-san, we talked about this last time."

"S-so we did." Robin flushed a little as she looked away from Tsubasa and buried her attentions in her half of the pastry.

"I had a strange dream, after I passed out in the forest." Yuzuki said between sips of her hot cocoa. "I don't remember much of it, just that it was deathly cold, and that I could barely see anything, for all the darkness around me. And that I was angry. Envious, really." As she spoke, a pair of customers passed out of Shooting Star, staring intently at Yuzuki all the while. "I wanted what you had, more than anything in the world. That was all I could think about." She sighed deeply. "I'm as selfish as I am cowardly. I'm sorry."

"Yuzu, you are _not_ -" Robin started.

"Himi-san... it's perfectly alright." Nanami said. "There were many times when I thought such things myself. Many times I wished I could have been born with less expectations piled onto my shoulders." She fell silent for a moment, having noticed the way Kohaku had uncomfortably shifted in her seat as she spoke. "And yet... I still can't wait to go home. It will be rather sad to leave this behind, and I won't pretend I feel otherwise, but I still want to be the best I can be, for those who depend on me – namely, my family."

Lucinda... Celes... she would see them again, she reminded herself, just as she had reminded herself every day since she'd arrived on Earth.

Yuzuki nodded in agreement. "I feel the same way - every time I think about running away, every time I fantasize about being born into different circumstances, I always remind myself of the people I have counting on me – particularly, my mother and father. But..." Her eyes darkened, growing stormier once again.

"If you choose to cut those three off, you won't be left alone." Nanami laid a hand on Yuzuki's own. "You have Asahina-san, after all. And me."

"Dang right!" Robin was a bit too loudly for Tsubasa's comfort, judging by the reproachful glance she shot in her direction. "We'll back you up, Yuzu." she added, more quietly this time. "If they spread rumors, we'll... we'll spread counter-rumors! We'll fight back until everyone sees my Yuzu as the wonderful person she is! Right, Nagi-chi?"

"Yeah!" Nanami said. "It's what friends do, after all!"

"Friends..." Yuzuki echoed, tears welling up in her eyes. "Nagisa-san... thank you so much!"

The moment Yuzuki said that, Kohaku rose up from her chair.

"Kohaku?" Nanami asked. "Is everything alright? You haven't even finished your cocoa."

"I need some time alone." Kohaku replied stiffly. Before any of the other girls could say anything else, she had left the table and was silently ascending the stairs.

The sight clearly caused Nanami, her two upperclassmen, and Tsubasa quite a bit of concern. For a moment, Robin looked like she wanted to spring up from her chair and chase after Kohaku before Yuzuki and Nanami both found themselves moving to stop her.

"It's alright." Nanami said. "Kohaku is just like this sometimes. She probably needs a little room to breathe, after everything that happened today."

It was most certainly _not_ alright, but Nanami did not let that show. Even now, even in front of people like Yuzuki, she had to keep face.

* * *

Kohaku slouched against the door of her room, her head a whirl of intrusive thoughts, even as she heard her princess and those two upperclassmen consulting amongst themselves. Her princess, who was flourishing here, even as she struggled. Her princess, who was making the friends she did not deserve to have. Her princess, who had never believed her feelings of friendship genuine, apparently. (A fragile and flimsy notion, to be sure, but then, Kohaku's own painfully low self-esteem made it so easy for such an ugly notion to take root in her mind.) Not that such things really hurt, not at all. It wasn't _supposed_ to hurt, after all, she... she was...

 _You're not supposed to be her friend! Lady Nerissa was injured because you forgot that!_

You're _hurting? Imagine how Queen Lucinda would feel, seeing her daughters' bodyguard snivel like this!_

And then Nanami's voice, ringing out loud and clear in her mind

 _Kohaku's mother is practically an aunt to me, really. She's an amazing woman._

Kohaku slowly slumped to the floor, clutching her knees to her chest as she trembled. It should have been a relief, knowing that Nanami might have always seen her actions as those of a servant acting on her obligations and not as a friend, that she had likely bandied about 'my friend' to keep up appearances and not a sincere statement. It should have been a relief, knowing that if she told the truth, there wouldn't be any real friendship to shatter. And yet... and yet...

Alexandria Lowe wasn't here right now. She couldn't insult Kohaku, couldn't yell at her, couldn't tell her how much shame her father would be feeling over her, were he still around. Logically, Kohaku knew that, and yet, emotionally, she felt like her mother was leering down at her, that familiar look of sneering contempt at her face, informing her that crying was something other people's children did. Not her daughter. Never her daughter.

So, Kohaku's eyes remained dry, and Kohaku tried to steel her heart, the way a tool should have. It wasn't working, no matter how hard she tried. How pathetic.


	5. Episode Five

**Episode Five** : Our Hearts Divided! The Lady and Knight's Quarrel!

* * *

 **A/N** : _Warning for discussion and brief depictions of emotional abuse from a parent throughout this chapter!_

* * *

 _I sometimes miss how it was before. Back when things were so much simpler._

"This is Amber, Lady Nerissa." Alexandria said as she presented her five-year-old daughter to the elder of Illuster's princesses. Amber was trying to match mother's stoicism despite her obvious bad case of nerves,"Starting from today, she is to protect and serve you and Lady Celes, just as I protect and serve your mother. Use her well."

"Pleased to meet you, Amber." Nerissa offered the other girl a small curtsy.

Amber said nothing at first. Anyone with eyes could tell she was far too intimidated to speak up, at least until her mother shot a reproachful glare in her direction, prompting her to finally force out a quiet "Nice to meet you as well, Lady Nerissa..."

Nerissa stepped forwards and took Amber's small hand in her own.

"Please don't be afraid!" she said. "We'll get along great, I just know it!"

After a moment of silence, Amber's russet eyes locked with Nerissa's crimson ones. "I'll do my best."

 _I was born to protect them. I knew this from the moment I could understand it. But back then, I paid no mind to such things._

"To be honest," Nerissa told Amber as the two young girls sat on a hillside near the Celestial Citadel together, watching the clouds in the sky drift along, "I don't really think I need you to be my bodyguard. I'm not allowed to go anywhere without supervision anyway, and we have the Rainbow Melody, so..."

"Oh? Then what do you need me to be, Lady Nerissa?" Amber asked.

Nerissa shook her head at Amber's formal mode of address. "'Nerissa' is just fine! And I don't need you to be _anything,_ Amber." She beamed radiantly at the taller girl." As long as we can stay together and play with each other, I'm happy!"

Amber returned Nerissa's beaming smile with a small, shy one of her own. "That sounds easy enough, Nerissa. What do you wish to do first?"

 _I was supposed to protect her, and yet it was her who was always taking point. And because of that… because of that..._

"Let's go, Amber!" the young princess said as she pulled her bodyguard along on another adventure through the grounds of the Celestial Citadel.

But her bodyguard didn't mind. She'd never minded, not back then. Not back when she had been oblivious to what she was supposed to be.

"Okay, Nerissa!" Amber happily let her princess pull her along. She'd follow her anywhere.

 _...because of that, I allowed myself to become complacent. I forgot myself. And that's why-_

"Nerissa, please stop - you're going to-"

"It's okay, Amber, I'm perfectly-"

The noises that had followed were seared forever into Amber's mind - the hideous creak of a tree branch giving and breaking, the sound of a young girl hitting the ground, her own scream of terror and pleas for her princess to wake up, footsteps thundering towards the two, and then, _and then_ -

-worthless child, letting her get hurt, _clearly,_ I didn't raise you properly, I thought you respected our princesses, why are you like this, _I_ love the royal family, why are you so-

 _If I'd never forgotten myself, things would have been fine. Mother would still be happy. I wouldn't know how worthless I was. Even Lady Nerissa seems to recognize this. And yet…_

 _...and yet I still wish I could go back to those days._

* * *

"Kohaku? Is everything alright?"

Kohaku was brought snapping back to Earth by the sound of her princess' voice. She blinked several times as she re-oriented herself, Nanami's room coming back into focus around her.

"Yes, Lady Nanami." she lied. "I'm fine."

Nanami's room looked a bit more lived-in now, between its pink seashell-themed bedding and curtains, the stack of books on the side table, and the handful of writing supplies neatly laid out on the desk. Nanami and Kohaku were seated on the floor by the broken Orgel, while Sirius, now in their humanoid form, was perched on Nanami's bed. Every piece of the Orgel was present and accounted for, thankfully. Sirius had made sure of that. But…

"Are you two ready to try again?" Sirius asked. "It's alright if you need to take a break! This will make Attempt Number Five, after all."

Nanami shook her head. "It's alright." she said. "The sooner we repair the Orgel, the sooner we can commence the restoration of Illuster in earnest. I will try to fix it as many times as necessary, until we get it right." Then, to Kohaku "Are you ready?"

"Yes, Lady Nanami." Kohaku replied dutifully.

The two girls closed their eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to carry out the same steps Sirius had walked them through during their first attempt to repair the Orgel. Look deep within yourself, draw on the power within your heart, connect that power to your partner's heart, direct that to the Orgel. Visualize each step of the process, that will make things smoother. Just like putting together a puzzle together. A complicated, extremely important puzzle.

As Sirius watched worriedly, Nanami and Kohaku's hearts began to shine with pink and orange light, as the Orgel and its broken pieces radiated in turn. As the two girls' hearts continued to shine, the air around them began to hum, and the pieces of the Orgel began to shimmer with multicolored light as they gradually came together, assembling bit by bit into its original form. On the surface, nothing seemed wrong, but…

...Sirius frowned. They could certainly feel the powers of Pretty Cure working to mend the Orgel but just as before they felt off. Weaker than they should have been. Out of sync. And just as before-

-the Orgel fell to pieces right before it could properly come together, its broken components losing their light before they scattered all over the floor. The sound immediately broke Nanami and Kohaku out of their trance as they stared in dismay at the sight before them.

" _Again?_ " Nanami sighed.

"Oh dear…" Sirius' ears laid flat against their head as they took in the resulting mess. "Maybe we should take a rest for today, yes, yes."

"I've been trying my hardest." Kohaku said as she stood up, taking in the resulting mess with a small scowl on her face. "Lady Nanami has as well. So why? Is it because we only have two of the Medallions?"

"That shouldn't be it!" Sirius hurried to gather the pieces of the Orgel into one spot, lest one end up unaccounted for, as they spoke. "You should have enough power between the two of you to fix the Orgel! It's just... to put it simply, your hearts are out of sync."

"Out of sync?" Nanami asked as she moved to help Sirius pick up the Orgel… only to find Kohaku in her way.

"You don't need to be bothering with this, Lady Nanami." she curtly informed her princess. As she began working on cleanup, she added "What do you mean, 'out of sync', Sirius? Lady Nanami and I knew one another well enough. She's my princess, I'm her bodyguard. What more is there to it?"

"That might be the issue." Nanami said. "Kohaku, you might want us to be that, but I honestly don't."

Kohaku got up and regarded Nanami quizzically after straightening up the broken Orgel. "Really? Haven't you always regarded me as a servant, Lady Nanami? You said it yourself - you think I'm only kind to you because Mother ordered me to look after you and Lady Celes."

Nanami looked genuinely hurt by that one. "I have never once felt that way about you! Do you really think me that much of an ogre?"

"No!" Kohaku shot back defensively. "I'm only going off what you told Himi-san. It's fine, Lady Nanami. It's fine. It's meant to be this way. It's fine." It was clearly _not_ fine. "I _am_ your servant, after all."

"You're taking what I said out of context!" Nanami shot back. Intellectually, she was aware that she was letting just a bit too much steam off right now, emotionally, she didn't care. "Maybe I do feel that way about parts of my serving staff, but I have never once thought of _you_ in such a manner, Amber!"

Sirius whined quietly, blatantly aware of the argument that was about to blow up between the two Cures. "You two, perhaps we should step back, and-"

Unfortunately for Sirius, neither girl acknowledged them.

"Really, Lady Nerissa?" Kohaku knew in the back of her mind that she needed to stop this, lest she become more of a disappointment than she already was. But she couldn't make herself stop. "You have an odd way of showing that. You speak more honestly to people you barely know, people like Himi-san, than you do to me."

"I have been trying to respect your wishes!" Any pretense of remaining calm and formal on Nanami's end was rapidly going out the window. "You want to be my bodyguard. You're happier acting as my sword and shield. You've been saying that over and over, since I pulled that stupid stunt six years ago, and I…"

"Lady Nanami…" Sirius sighed in the background. They seemed to have given up on being heard.

"As long as you were happy, Amber, I was going to keep my head down and shut up about it! I felt I owed you that much! But now… but now…" Nanami was trembling with anger, both at Kohaku for being so thick and herself for forgetting her upbringing. "If you weren't so _obstinate-"_

"What do you know?!" Kohaku snapped. Her mother was screaming in her ears to shut up before she _made_ her shut up. She didn't care. Not anymore. "You don't know _anything_ about what I want - and I don't know what _you_ want, since you won't speak up!"

"Amber… you _really_ don't understand what it means to be a princess, do you?" Nanami snapped. "A princess cannot go around foisting her own petty concerns on other people. Even now, it's still not something I'm at all comfortable with doing."

"That's right." Kohaku said. "You can't stop being a princess. And I can't stop being your tool." And if she'd never forgotten that, maybe they wouldn't be here now. "I'm glad we understand that, Lady Nerissa."

For a moment after that, both girls fell silent, clearly trying to regain their composure before things became worse. Sirius said nothing during the ensuing lull, but had either half of Pretty Cure turned around, they would have noticed them looking as if they wanted to to phase through the floor.

"Listen." Nanami gingerly approached Kohaku, taking the other girl's hand in both of her own. "If we can't be normal girls, can we at least be like Mother and Captain Alex? I have never once seen Captain Alex speak to Mother as anything but a relative equal, so-"

Kohaku was trying to remain calm, she really was... but that mention of her mother, the woman who had done everything to break her spirit, the woman who Nanami constantly spoke of in glowing terms because she didn't _know_ , was enough for something inside of her to. Just. Snap.

" _Quit calling her that!"_

Time seemed to slow down for Kohaku. Dimly, she was aware of her roughly jerking her hand out of Nanami's grasp, sending the other girl staggering backwards, of Nanami trying to reach towards her in a bid to calm her down the very second she managed to steady herself, of her, as if on autopilot, pulling away and firing back with a sharp

 _"Just leave me alone!"_

and Nanami... Nanami was standing there, her shoulders heaving slightly. She removed her glasses with shaking hands, her eyes welling up with tears.

"I'm sorry..." Her gaze dropped to the ground as a tear splashed on the floorboards. "It seems I went too far."

The princess was crying. The princess was hurt. The princess was hurt and crying because of her. Just like before. Because of her. Because she was such an idiot. Amber, I should have raised you better. Amber, your father would be so disappointed. Amber, you hurt the princess you hurt the princess youhurttheprincessyouhurttheprincess-

"Lady Nerissa… it was my… you shouldn't-" The words died in Kohaku's throat before she could spit them out. Her mouth worked mutely for a few moments, but nothing else would come out. As if she had a right to so much as breathe in Nanami's direction anymore.

And so, Kohaku did the only thing that felt appropriate in this situation. She turned on her heel and bolted down the stairs. Scum like her didn't deserve to be in the presence of the princess, let alone any other living being.

* * *

Tsubasa was at the end of her rope this afternoon. Not only had Shooting Star been busy today, not only had she just freed herself from having to re-make the same drink five-odd times for someone who clearly wouldn't know a cappuccino was if it had swooped down from the heavens and announced its presence to her, but the noise upstairs was-

-there was something humming, then something breaking. Then something humming some more, followed by it breaking. Customers were staring at her in confusion. She shrugged, muttered something about her charges having a science project before returning to making another drink for another customer... and then there was more humming upstairs, followed by it breaking again, followed by-

-shouting. Lots of shouting. Not loud enough to be clearly heard from all the way upstairs but loud enough to where the customers could tell that an argument was going on.

"Sorry, Rallis-san - you're gonna need to give me a second." Tsubasa informed the customer she was about to make a cup of coffee for - an olive-skinned man with forest green eyes and curly, dark green hair.

"It's totally cool, Aozora-san." Ayumu Rallis said. "Do what you gotta do."

He didn't have to tell Tsubasa twice. She promptly abandoned her workstation and marched to the foot of the stairs. "Would you kids _please-"_

Before Tsubasa could finish that sentence, Kohaku came thundering down the stairs, blowing past her without so much as an 'excuse me'. Sirius, now in their dog form, sped past her, followed by Nanami, who wasn't wearing her glasses and looked as if she'd been crying. Neither party did anything to stop Kohaku as she bolted out of the doors of Shooting Star, letting the door slam shut behind her, but both looked horribly torn up by what had just happened.

"Is everything alright?" Tsubasa asked. A dumb question, but it didn't feel right _not_ to ask it. "Sounded like you were having quite the argument up there."

Nanami's mouth was clearly forming a 'yes' before she shook her head. "No… it's really not alright. Not in the slightest." For a moment, she looked ready to explain, and then she noticed Ayumu and the line of customers queuing up behind him. "I think it'd be best if I stepped out for the evening."

She curtsied apologetically to Tsubasa before slipping out of Shooting Star. Sirius followed close behind her.

"Oh man, that brings me back." Rallis said as Tsubasa returned to preparing his drink. "Drama between friends… wouldn't be a teenager without it." He sighed. "It's still awful. Hope those kids make up okay."

"You and me both." Tsubasa sighed.

* * *

"Wake up…"

Those were the first words he remembered hearing.

"Can you hear me? Please… please wake up!"

Dull bronze eyes slowly flitted open as his surroundings came into focus. He had awoken in an ornate and high-ceilinged sanctum, nigh-devoid of light, bitterly cold, and littered with gray, doll-like bodies. His body felt strange. Like it didn't belong to him. Just pulling himself into a sitting position took a conscious effort. And his memories were...

...a complete blank. Try as he might, he couldn't remember a single thing.

"There you are." The owner of the voice, a tall young woman with multicolored hair stood before him and two others - a pair of near-identical teenage girls, who were also just beginning to stir. The woman's hands were pulsing slightly with dark violet light, causing the gems on his and the girls' hands to resonate. "It worked... I'm glad."

The green-haired girl stared blankly at the woman. "Who are you?"

The pink-haired girl, quizzically tilted her head. "Who are we?"

The woman's hands ceased to glow. "Please... try to remember. Surely you haven't forgotten your names!"

It took a little bit of effort, but finally some tiny shreds of information floated into his mind as he shook off the last remnants of fatigue. Agate. His name was Agate. The girls were his little sisters, Tourmaline and Selenite. He knew these things to be true… but he did not _feel_ them to be true.

"I'm sure you're lost." the woman said. "But you will understand in time. For now, know this - my name is Sardonyx, leader of the Void Clan. You three are my loyal servants, the Void Triad. Obey me, and all will be well."

"Your loyal servants." Tourmaline replied mechanically, before genuflecting before Sardonyx. "Understood."

Selenite joined her sister in genuflecting. "We will obey your every wish."

Agate didn't really get any of this, and frankly, it was hard to concentrate on what Sardonyx had said considering how wrong his entire form and his mind felt. But, what else could he do? So, he genuflected as well.

"Honored to serve you, Lady Sardonyx. Use me well."

That was the only other thing he could remember - he wanted nothing more than to make Sardonyx happy. He had no other reason to exist.

* * *

"Wake up! Please, wake up!"

Agate was jostled from sleep by someone vigorously shaking him back and forth by the shoulders. That still was not enough to fully wake him, not until the person shaking him warmed up her hands - not enough to hurt but certainly enough to make him jump a little.

"Wha-" he started as his eyes flew open, softening a bit once he realized who was in front of him. "Oh! Lady Sardonyx! Funny seeing you here."

"I could say the same." Sardonyx said. Both parties were in one of the halls near the Citadel's bedchambers, Agate slumped against the wall opposite from the room Tourmaline was resting in. "You were barely moving... for a moment, I thought-" She coughed into her palm. "It would be a waste of good resources if I lost any of you." A pause, then "How is Tourmaline?"

"She's on the mend." Agate got up and leaned against the wall. "Out cold last I checked. Understandable, with how badly she was injured." He laughed nervously. "At least she's back to her old self. Last time she was awake, she threw a pillow at me and asked me if I'd come to pity her."

"I'm glad." Sardonyx took off down the hall, prompting Agate to fall in step alongside her. "Had I known the Orgel held that kind of power, even emptied of its contents, I would have…" She shook her head. "No matter. It will be dealt with soon."

"Right... and are you gonna tell this guy _how_ it'll be dealt with?" Agate asked.

"No." Sardonyx replied without hesitation. "That is not your concern, Agate. You only have one function-"

"Yeah, I get it. Just wind this guy up and point him at a target, Lady Sardonyx. He knows the drill." Agate sighed. "Got a way to go before I get back to sleep."

"Why were you sleeping anyway?" Sardonyx inquired. "Last time I checked, you don't need to-"

"Hey, I've got nothing better to do, outside of following your orders." Agate replied.

That was a lie if there ever was one. Selenite would hole up in the library and read for hours on end, Tourmaline used the flora outside as target practice, and the twins were frequently hanging around one another and finding ways to entertain themselves within their appropriated home base when they weren't each off doing their own thing. He just… didn't have the willpower to do much most of the time. And given that, it was just easier to sleep the day away.

Given everything, it was hard to want to do _anything_. Anything that wasn't pleasing Sardonyx. Even now, he lived to make her happy.

"I see…" Sardonyx didn't seem entirely placated by that response. "Then, since Tourmaline is indisposed, Selenite-"

"-isn't comfortable going out, not 'til Tourmaline's back on her feet. So, this guy will go. Just… not right now. Tomorrow, maybe? Doubt they'll have the Orgel restored in a day."

Sardonyx fell silent for some time as the two paused outside another bedchamber in the Citadel. Finally, she replied with a curt "Very well." She moved to open the bedchamber door, her body language making it quite clear that Agate was not to follow her inside. "And Agate?"

"Hm?"

"Don't do anything foolish out there."

"Heh, there's no need to worry about that one!" Agate nonchalantly put a hand behind his head. "This guy is a guy who knows his limits!"

"I hope so." Sardonyx said. She slipped into the bedchamber, the door shutting of its own accord behind her. Agate didn't bother trying to open it. He knew full well that if he did, he would find it stuck fast.

Agate stood back and sighed, blowing a loose strand of hair away from his forehead. This was fine, of course. Just keep grinding away until everyone was relieved of their Roaring Sparks, and he could go back to… not being around. It didn't matter how he felt about that. All that mattered was her happiness.

* * *

Once Kohaku hit the ground running, she did not stop. She tore down the hill that Shooting Star set atop and through Seizato's shopping district and then past that, weaving around buildings and merchandise stands and passers-by that seemed to congeal into a blur after a certain point.

 _Stupid! Stupid! I'm so stupid!_

The corners of Kohaku's eyes were stinging as she continued to run - she had nowhere in mind, just 'far away from Shooting Star' - but she refused to cry. It wasn't allowed. Alexandria had made that quite clear over the years. Remember, Amber, crying is stupid and weak. It isn't something Lowe women do.

 _She was right about me… I've never been worth anything at all!_

She had spoken to Nanami so _derisively,_ all because she had the audacity to get her feelings hurt by what was simply a matter of course. If she'd just shut up and focused on her duties, the Orgel would have been fixed, and all we be well. Just as things would have been so much better between her and Alexandria if she'd never forgotten her place.

As it was? She'd be surprised if Nanami wanted anythingmore to do with her.

Kohaku wanted to run idefinitely. Running was carrying her far away from the girl she had hurt with her abhorrent, disrespectful attitude and keeping her mind from focusing too hard on what that meant for her. But she only human, and thus, she was brought to a stop by a terrible cramp in her side, a few blocks away from Seizato's park.

She hissed in pain under her breath as she doubled over, using a nearby wall for support as she panted heavily. God, she was so worthless… she didn't even have the stamina to keep going as far as she wanted to. Was there _anything_ she could do right at this point?

 _I'm ashamed to have a daughter like you, Amber. God, I envy Lucinda so much._

Kohaku held back more tears… or tried to. They came flowing forth anyway, despite her best efforts. As if she had any right to cry! As if she had any right to have feelings at all! Mother would be so ashamed. Mother would be so, so ashamed.

Kohaku wasn't sure she'd ever hated herself this much before this moment.

* * *

By the time Nanami left Shooting Star, Kohaku was long gone. She was not surprised, but she was terribly disappointed. Part of her considered trying to track Kohaku down. The other part thought better of it. The other girl likely did not want to be found.

"I wish I'd chosen my words more carefully." Nanami said morosely as she and Sirius made their way through Seizato's residential district. "I had the audacity to tell her she didn't know what being a princess was like, and then I acted completely unlike one."

"Lady Nanami, you're only human." Sirius said as they trotted besides her. "A human can only hold their feelings to their chest for so long. It really, really doesn't matter who they are." They whined quietly, their tail drooping a bit. "I wish I'd said something before things snowballed like they did."

"It's not your fault, Siri." Nanami gave them a comforting scritch on the head. "It's mine for not being honest with Kohaku. But..."

"...it's not right for a princess to trouble those around her." Sirius finished.

"That's right." Nanami said as the two rounded a corner, coming to a stop in front of the Yamaguchi residence. "This has to change, now that we're Pretty Cure, but what can I do?" She sighed. "And why was she angry about _that?_ "

Nanami rang the doorbell of the Yamaguchi residence. The sound of footsteps thundering down the stairs could be heard before Amane opened the door.

"Oh, Nagisa-san! And… oh my gosh, what a cute dog!" Amane chirped. "Come on in! My parents are… occupied, so it's just me, myself, and the word processor right now." As she eagerly ushered Nanami and Sirius into the modestly-furnished living area of her house, she added "Hey, where's Shishioh-san? Is something up, or…?"

"No, nothing's wrong." Despite her best efforts, Nanami sounded like a liar, and judging by Amane's expression, the class representative certainly thought she did too. "Kohaku just had something she needed to do, so I figured I'd drop by and visit you. If that's alright, of course."

"Of course it is!" Amane said. "I don't really have anything going on, just my writing, so- oh my gosh, speaking of that!" She waited for Nanami to remove her shoes before taking her by the hand. "You have got to see my family's study - it's like a mini library, right in our home! Come on, Nagisa-san!"

Nanami let Amane drag her along, Sirius following right at her heels. Under normal circumstances, the prospect of a new place with new books to read would have her over the moon, but it was difficult to even play at being enthusiastic, between how awful she already felt and how much Amane's gesture reminded her of

 _"Let's go, Amber!"_

 _"Okay, Nerissa!"_

Would she ever get that back? And did she even deserve to get that back? Nanami didn't know anymore.

* * *

Nobody looked twice at Kohaku as she wandered aimlessly around the park. That was fine with her. It was better if no one interacted with someone like her anyway.

She frowned as she came to a stop in front of the Four Maidens. Her eyes setled on the one who held a cloud as as she withdrew her Roaring Compact from her jacket pocket. The Tempest Knight… that was who she was supposed to be. Or had ended up becoming, anyway. As if someone like her had been meant to inherit those powers.

"Maybe it'd be better if it was someone else…" she muttered as she looked down at her Roaring Compact. "Pretty Cure should be two people who trust each other."

Two little girls - one with short hair, the other with long hair blitzed past Kohaku, clearly having the time of their lives. Suddenly, the short-haired girl fell and burst into tears. Immediatelu, the long-haired girl rushed to her side.

"It's okay, Kazumi-chan!" she told her crying friend. "Look! Pain, pain, fly away!" She gestured as if banishing the hurt from the other girl's banged-up knee. She repeated this several times, until it was clear that Kazumi was feeling a little bit better.

"Mari-chan…" Kazumi smiled tearfully at her friend. "You're the best!"

Kohaku sighed miserably as she watched the two comfort one another for a few moments, before Mari helped Kazumi to her feet and the two took off together.

 _"There, there… it's alright, Amber!" Nerissa placed her small hands on a small scrape on Amber's arm. Nerissa's hands glowed gently with pink light before she removed them, revealing the injury to be gone. "See? No more tears!"_

 _"Thank you, Nerissa…" Amber sniffled. "And please don't tell Mother I was crying, alright?"_

 _Nerissa looked a bit confused, but nevertheless, she nodded. "I won't - I promise! I want to protect you too, Amber!"_

"How ridiculous of me." Amber said as she slipped away, pocketing her Roaring Compact. "I was supposed to be the one protecting you."

 _"We're partners, Leo!"_

It wasn't as if she didn't want that to be the case, Kohaku thought as she meandered through the park, coming to a stop in front of a lake. But after years of being reminded that she was little more than a thing for the princesses of Illuster to use, that and that forgetting her place could put Nanami in danger again, she couldn't…

...Kohaku scowled, picking up a rock and throwing it as hard as she could. It skipped an impressive distance - and drew an impressed whistle from a nearby onlooker.

"Oh, nice form. That beats my best score for today."

Kei Katsuya was standing close by, clearly in the middle of skipping rocks herself. She looked quite exhausted, despite her attempts at looking sharp and professional, and was carrying a thermos with a giant robot on it - a strikingly incongruous sight on such a professional-looking woman. Not that Kohaku was in any mood to find any humor in it.

"You're one of the kids living with Tsubasa, right?" Kei asked as she skipped a rock across the lake. It went nowhere near as far as Kohaku's had. "Is everything alright with her?"

"It's not her." Kohaku said. She stared fixedly into the distance as she weighed the benefits of sharing her feelings with a stranger, before deciding it didn't matter. "I fought with my... with someone I'm close to. That's all."

Kei said nothing, simply stoically pouring herself a cup of coffee - the latest in a long line of many, judging by how her hands were trembling. A casual observer might have assumed she didn't care. A close observer could tell that she was giving Kohaku room to say as much as she wanted.

"It's my mother." Kohaku said. "This girl worships the ground my mother walks on, and my mother has always been so kind to her too. But…" She scowled, as she picked up another rock. "I know she just wanted me to turn out properly, but…" She sent this rock skipping a fair distance. "It hurts to be insulted over and over. I hate not having time to myself. And it's awful, not having a right to my own feelings." She caught herself there. "Sorry. I sound pretty selfish, don't I?"

"You don't." Kei said between sips of coffee.

Kohaku sent another rock skipping across the pond, half-heartedly this time. "I'm scared. This girl thinks so highly of my mother. If told the truth, she'd hate me. She'd probably think I was lying to hurt her."

Kei was silent for a moment before she spoke. "I knew a girl like that. She had a father who barely looked at her. He'd leave her alone for hours at a time and barely engage with her past what he had to." She sighed, recapping her thermos. "But when that girl spoke up about what her home life was like, about how lonely she was… she was told to stop whining. That her father was an admirable man. That he was far too busy being a great attorney to contend with an entitled brat like her."

"What did she do?" Kohaku asked. It was obvious that Kei was speaking about herself, but she knew it was impolite to point that out.

"She gave up. She buckled down, and worked to become a great attorney herself, so he'd look at her. She gave up everything that made her happy so she could whittle her life away at a law office. Even now, she looks back and wonders if it'd be different if someone had listened to her."

Now it was Kei's turn to scowl and send another rock skipping quite far across the lake - a bit farther than Kohaku's, at that.

"What are you getting at with this?" Kohaku asked, even as she raised her eyebrows at that display from Kei.

"If she cares about you, she'll put your feelings over her impressions of your mother." Kei said. "After all, nobody knows a parent better than their own child."

"If you say so, Katsuya-san." Kohaku replied. It was a nice notion, but she was not sure if she could believe it just yet. She stared out at the water for another moment or two before grabbing another rock. "Want to go another round?"

Kei shrugged. "I have a little bit of time to kill before I need to go back to work." She grabbed another rock herself, and took aim, her amber eyes shining. "Super Electromagnetic Throw!" she shouted before throwing her rock… which took a few half-hearted skips before sinking into the water. "Ah well…"

Kohaku stared in confusion at Kei, who flushed slightly and looked to the side, muttering something incomprehensible under her breath. Kohaku shrugged before moving to skip another rock herself. The two kept at it for a good while after that.

* * *

When Nanami finally returned to Shooting Star that evening, she felt no less miserable than when she had left.

"I couldn't even speak honestly to Yamaguchi-san. If this goes on…" She sighed miserably as her eyes flitting to her sweater pocket, where her Roaring Compact was held.

"I'm sure if you try, you can speak honestly with Kohaku!" Sirius said. "And then once you're honest with one another, we'll fix the Orgel! It'll work out just fine, yes, yes!"

Sirius' heart wasn't in their words, despite their best efforts. And Nanami knew it. Both parties were dead silent as they entered Shooting Star. Tsubasa was busy cleaning the counters as a few customers idled at the tables. Kohaku was busying herself in the kitchen. Even from here, Nanami and Sirius could feel awkward energy between the two.

Nanami took a deep breath before approaching the counter. "Oh, good evening, Kohaku." Fake, fake, she sounded so fake, why was she _trying-_ "That smells as delicious as always."

"You flatter me, Lady Nanami." Kohaku sounded no less fake than Nanami. She measured a bit of the meal she had made - fried rice with chicken and vegetables - onto a plate. "I hope you enjoy it." She seated the meal on the counter before measuring out some more for herself, grabbing some utensils, and making her way towards the stairs.

"Kohaku?" Nanami called out. Kohaku paused in her tracks. Nanami's mouth worked silently as her brain screamed at her to apologize, reassure the other girl, do anything that would resolve things between them, before she finally spat out a hollow-sounding "Thanks for the meal."

Kohaku looked like she wanted to say something herself, before she responded with an equally hollow "Glad it's appreciated, Lady Nanami." and disappeared upstairs.

Nanami stared down at her food before proceeding to pick absently at it. It looked and smelled as delicious as anything Kohaku made… and yet she could barely taste it.

Tsubasa said nothing to Nanami during dinner. Nanami appreciated that, just as she appreciated Sirius following her upstairs and waiting in her room as she prepared for bed.

Nanami tried her best to keep a brave face that night, even as she and Kohaku passed one another by en route to bed, the weight of words unsaid hanging between them the entire time. But once she had settled into bed and Sirius had curled up besides her, her pent-up emotions burst forth.

"Oh, Siri…" she sobbed into the librarian's fur. "What am I going to do?"

At this rate… if she didn't speak up… Pretty Cure would be completely unable to function, and she would be more alone than she already felt.

* * *

Nanami couldn't sleep at all. No matter what she did, her brain would not stop dwelling on her fight with Kohaku and everything it had stirred up within her. After an hour or so of staring sleeplessly at the ceiling, she finally got out of bed, leaving Sirius to continue snoozing peacefully by themselves.

She needed a little water, that was all, Nanami told herself as she made her way down the stairs. Maybe a little bit of fruit. Anything that would help settle her mind. Kohaku would be worried if she showed up exhausted tomorrow morning… assuming Kohaku wanted anything more to do with her.

Nanami's original plans - to sneak into the kitchen, get something, and go - were immediately stymied by Tsubasa, who was at one of the cafe tables, busily typing away on a laptop as she spoke on a phone. From what Nanami could make out, the owner of Shooting Star was working on some sort of budget table.

"Look, Meg - I'm not asking for much, I'm just-" Tsubasa paused, scowling irritably. "I'm fine! They're fine! They're good kids, Meg! You don't have to-" She paused, having clearly sensed Nanami's approach. "Can we pick this up tomorrow? Something came up." Another pause, then " _Goodbye,_ Meg." Tsubasa huffed irritably, massaging her temples once she'd set the phone down before closing her laptop and turning to face Nanami. "What's up, princess? Can't sleep?"

"That's right. I apologize for interrupting you."

"Don't worry about it." Tsubasa said before getting up from the table and slipping behind the counter. "Take a seat right there - I'll make us both some milk steamers." As Nanami did just that, she got to work busying herself with her equipment. "Sorry about today. Never pleasant, fighting with a friend."

"It certainly isn't." Nanami looked down at the counter. "But I'm beginning to wonder if this was inevitable. There has been something lying between us for a while now. I suppose it took becoming Pretty Cure to make it come to the fore."

Tsubasa pulled out two mugs and put a bit of vanilla syrup in the bottom of each. "Whipped cream?" she asked. Once, Nanami nodded in the affirmative, she added "What do you mean by that?"

"We used to be playmates." Nanami said quietly. "Kohaku was officially meant to be my bodyguard, but I didn't take to that. My little sister was only a baby, and most children were too intimidated to go near me. So I selfishly encourage Kohaku to neglect her duties and play with me."

"That sounds like normal little kid behavior, if you ask me." Tsubasa poured steamed milk into her and Nanami's mugs and set to work topping them off with whipped cream. "If I was cooped up in a castle, you better believe I'd stick to any kid who got close to me." She slid Nanami's mug to her. "Careful - it's still pretty hot."

"Thank you Tsubasa." Nanami said. "And I suppose you're right… but then, you and I occupy very different roles. A princess has expectations to deliver on, and I failed terribly."

Tsubasa said nothing, but Nanami could tell that she was giving her room to speak. So, after an experimental sip from her steamer, which earned a small, approving smile in Tsubasa's direction, she continued.

"I didn't watch myself when we were together. I was always charging off ahead or dragging her along. It wasn't how it was supposed to be, but I thought little of it. And then one day, when I was eight..." Nanami's voice caught slightly. "We were playing together in one of the orchards. I wanted to show off how high I could climb one of the apple trees."

 _"Nerissa, please come down from there! You're going too far!"_

 _"This is nothing, Amber!" Nerissa hoisted herself further up a branch and stared down at her increasingly-worried bodyguard. "It's okay, see?"_

"Kohaku kept begging me to stop. I should have listened to her. But I was too selfish to listen."

 _Nerissa was now very high up the tree indeed, and Amber was growing increasingly panicked._

 _"Nerissa, please stop!" Her face drained of color as her eyes homed in on the branch Nerissa was currently balanced on - the branch that was beginning to warp and break under her weight. "You're going to-"_

 _But Amber's pleas fell on uncaring ears. "It's okay, Amber!" Nerissa said. "I'm perfectly-"_

 _And then the branch snapped beneath Nerissa's weight, and whatever the princess was going to say next turned into an ear-piercing scream as she plunged towards the ground._

"I don't remember anything after that - apparently, I passed out when I hit the ground." Nanami said. "Our healers patched me up easily. But Kohaku..."

 _"A princess is never at fault for her tool's actions. That is what I am to you and Lady Celes, Lady Nerissa."_

"Kohaku and I never played together again. From then on, there was always a wall between us. And I've tried to be fine with that! But..." Nanami's eyes began to well with tears. "There has always been a part of me that wished it wasn't this way. A part of me that just wants her friend back."

"With all due respect, princess… I don't know if you could call those her wishes." At Nanami's confused expression, Tsubasa clarified. "I mean, I get it, you're from a different world than I am, but something that extreme? Doesn't seem like something any eight-year-old girl would choose on her own."

 _"What do you know?! You don't know anything about what I want"_

 _"Quit calling her that!"_

"She blew up at me because I was speaking about Captain Alex…" Nanami said. "But Captain Alex has never acted like that towards Mother or my sister and me. She wouldn't have…" She paused, looking up at Tsubasa. "Parents always want what's best for their children, don't they?"

"Well, they should." Tsubasa looked aside uncomfortably. "But frankly? There's often distance between what a parent thinks is best and what's actually best. Or the way some parents treat their children and how they treat everyone else around them."

Nanami looked genuinely stunned by that one. Part of her wanted to point out that she had never seen any hint of cruelty from Alexandria Lowe, but another part...

...Kohaku had often asked Nanami to lie to Alexandria about innocuous actions of hers - being caught crying, dancing with her during her gala - as if she was… afraid of her.

Nanami's eyes widened in realization. Was that why? Was that how it had been all along? Oh god...

"Sometimes, blood family's not what's best." Tsubasa said. "Sometimes, people have to make their own families, because their blood relatives let them down." She took a sip of her drink before nodding authoritatively. "And that's the way it is, Nanami."

Unbeknownst to both, Kohaku had been listening in on their conversation from her sport at the top of the stairs. Her mind was a whirl of thoughts as she listened to Nanami spill her true feelings. Once the matter shifted to the subject of her mother, she felt her heart about to leap out of her chest. IfNanami knew, would she…?

Kohaku sighed quietly, staring down at her hands as she felt Alexandria leering behind her, asserting that no, Nanami would not believe her if she spoke, no matter what she was hearing from downstairs. And Kohaku…

"You're lying." she hissed under her breath. "She would believe me." Kei's words from earlier, Nanami's own words, they were confirmation enough. "She has to believe me."

Now she just had to make herself believe that.

* * *

The next morning was terribly awkward for Nanami and Kohaku. Neither girl spoke to one another past what was necessary as they prepared for the day ahead. Every time one girl did want to say something about yesterday, the other party was too lost in thought to notice.

The tension between the Cures was so great that Amane did not speak to them during the train ride to Sorairo and took off ahead of the two once they arrived at the school gates. Nanami almost crashed into several people, but Kohaku did nothing to stop her. In fact, she came dangerously close to doing the same thing several times.

By the time Nanami and Kohaku set foot into 2-B, the tension lying between them had grown to immense proportions. It was clear that most everyone nearby could sense it and equally clear that no one presnt knew how to address it.

Nanami cast a fleeting glance at Kohaku before she returned to staring miserably out the window. She wanted to say something, but nothing came to mind. What did one say in this situation? 'Sorry I was too dense to notice your suffering?' As if that would make up for six-odd years of inaction on her end! Some friend she was.

Kohaku made a miserable noise under her breath as she buried her head in her arms. She needed to talk to Nanami. She needed to tell her the truth. But would Nanami listen to her? Did she even deserve to be listened to in the first place, after everything? Her heart said yes... probably, but the ugly specter of her mother said of course not.

Amane reached over and gently tapped Nanami on the shoulder. "Nagisa-san?" she asked nervously. "Are you sure everything's alright?"

"It's nothing I cannot deal with myself." Nanami lied politely. "Thank you for your concern."

Misaki and Taeko both looked like they wanted to say something to Nanami and Kohaku themselves, but the moment Misaki opened her mouth, Amane shook her head.

"This is clearly an important matter between childhood friends." Amane hissed under her breath, loud enough for Nanami and Kohaku to overhear her. "At times like this, we should _definitely_ ease off, maybe?"

Before anyone could say anything further, Megumi stepped into the room, her gaze lingering just a bit too long on Nanami and Kohaku for either girl's comfort

"Alright, let's start class." she said.

Amane sprang to her feet with the practiced ease of a girl who lived for her role. "Stand!" Every student in 2-B did just that. "Bow! Sit down!"

 _We need to talk, and soon..._ Nanami mused, staring ahead once she sat back down in her chair. _But how to start?_

 _Can I talk to her? Should I talk to her?_ Kohaku asked herself, staring down at her desk once she'd sat back down herself. _Do I even deserve to talk to her?_

Neither girl had an answer to their quandaries, not at present.

* * *

One thing about running a coffee shop, Tsubasa had discovered during her time as the owner of Shooting Star, was that you attracted... er, colorful characters to your side like moths to a flame. The guy who was currently seated at the counter was one of these types.

The guy in question was tall, wiry, and strikingly - a bit worryingly, really - pale. He had short and scruffy bluish-black hair and copper brown eyes and wore a red and burnt orange snakeskin print button-down shirt, dark brown skinny jeans, and dark brown lace-up boots. He wa distinctive, yes, but that wasn't what was sticking with Tsubasa. No, that would be the fact that he was currently on... his sixth? Seventh? cup of coffee? And it was beginning to show. Badly.

"So, this is Blue Mountain coffee!" The young man's hands were trembling as he spoke. "It's amazing! Just like the others! I love coffee!"

Agate, who had arrived here to scope out Roaring Sparks - before becoming... distracted, should have been ashamed of his behavior, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Maybe it was the way these drinks tasted. Maybe it was the way they took the edge off of his constant fatigue. Maybe it was some other third thing. Who even knew?

Tsubasa furrowed her brow. "I might have to cut you off soon, sir."

"What, is there something wrong?" Agate seemed unaware of how jittery he sounded. "My first time having coffee, and you're telling me to stop?"

"You've... never had coffee before." Tsubasa said incredulously. Agate stared at her blankly. She sighed heavily. "Look. Coffee is full of caffeine. Caffeine is okay in moderation. Too much caffeine can wreak havoc on your ability to sleep. Sooo, unless you want to have an absolutely miserable night-"

Before Tsubasa could say anything further, Kei entered Shooting Star. If the lawyer had looked awful yesterday, she looked like an absolute wreck today.

"Ah... hello." Kei said absently. "The usual, please." As Tsubasa immediately got to work, she added "How are things with those kids? I ran into the tall one yesterday - is she doing alright?"

As Kei spoke, Agate caught something out of the corner of his eye - a fluffy white dog who was curled up in a far corner of Shooting Star, watching its door with keen ice blue eyes. They were much smaller than the dog he remembered - but how many other dogs with star marks on their foreheads lived in this world?

So... by 'kids', Kei meant Prety Cure. But 'holding up'? Was one of them in a bad state? Had he missed an opening while he was waiting for Tourmaline to recover?

"I think they both are, yeah." Tsubasa said as she busied herself making Kei's coffee. "I'm not meddling unless they ask me to, and neither should you, Kei."

Agate tried not to look too interested in Tsubasa and Kei's exchange. Issue? Had something happened between Pretty Cure? And why were his thoughts racing a mile a minute? Was it the coffee, or was it genuine elation at finding an opening, or. Right. He needed to check Kei's Roaring Spark. The lawyer certainly looked like someone with a usable Roaring Spark.

And indeed, Kei's Roaring Spark was shining brilliantly. Agate smiled thinly as Kei took her coffee and left Shooting Star before he prepared to give chase... only to feel a firm hand grip his shoulder the second he tried to leave.

"I _really_ hope you're not planning on drinking and dashing." Tsubasa was loomng behind Agate, a threatening current running beneath her calm tone.

Agate should have ignored Tsubasa and ran. But that would compromise his identity and rob him of a place to spy on Pretty Cure... and this amazing thing called coffee. And on top of that, Tsubasa was just a little terrifying, normal human or not. So, there was only one proper course of action.

"Of course not!" Agate smiled nervously at Tsubasa as he placed a hand behind his head. "It just slipped my mind for a sec - sorry about that!"

Hopefully, he could catch up with his quarry while her Roaring Spark was still ready to harvest, he mused, quietly grateful that the twins weren't here to make fun of him for caving into a normal human like this.

* * *

By the end of the day, Nanami's spirits were at an all-time low. She had blown every single chance to speak with Kohaku, she mused, sighing morosely as she idled by her shoe locker after school that day. This wasn't good at all, especially with danger surely lurking around the corner.

Break? She hadn't been able to come up with any appropriate things to say to Kohaku and had been drawn into idle chit-chat about books with Amane instead, while Kohaku simply got up and left the room.

Gym class? The two hadn't exchanged any meaningful words outside of Kohaku asking Nanami if she was alright after her first try at the climbing rope.

Lunch? Nanami had been so certain that Kohaku would at least eat with her in the courtyard, but no - the taller girl had vanished on her as she was moving to their usual spot after muttering something about 'needing some time to think', leaving her to eat awkwardly with Amane.

Cleaning? Nanami had managed to get something out while she was sweeping the floor, but it wasn't anything meaningful

"Kohaku? Could…" she had stammered as she edged closer to the other girl, who was cleaning a windo with a rag. "Would it be alright if, this afternoon... I would like to, if it sits well with you-"

And then Misaki had pulled Kohaku aside, asking for her help carrying the trash, and Nanami had been left alone. By the time cleaning had finished, there was no sign of Kohaku. Maybe she had run off again.

And although the two had been lucky yesterday, with no moves made by the Void Clan, they couldn't press their luck for long. It was doubtful that Sardonyx and her underlings would hang back for more than a short while.

"I have to find her." Nanami told herself. She pulled on her outdoor shoes and grabbed her schoolbag before taking a deep breath and steeling herself. "No more of this!" She charged forwards and out of Sorairo's classroom building, on a quest to find her partner before it was too late.

She didn't have to go far. Kohaku was idling right outside of the school gate. The taller girl looked like she would rather be anywhere else, but she was here.

"Kohaku!" Nanami gaped at the sight of her Pretty Cure partner. "I..."

"Lady Nanami, you wished to speak with me, correct?" Kohaku sounded terribly ill at ease as well, and she was struggling to maintain eye contact.

"That's right." Nanami sounded a bit nervous as well. "There are... several matters I wish to address."

"...same." Kohaku said quietly. "I've wanted to speak to you for a while, but..." She trailed off uncomfortably, but Nanami could easily finish that sentence in her head.

"I'm worried myself." Nanami said. "But we cannot let this fester any longer." She offered a hand to Kohaku. "But we should probably bring this somewhere more private."

Kohaku said nothing. For a moment, Nanami was afraid she would run away - and she certainly looked like she was considering it. But after a moment of hesitation, she nodded and took Nanami's hand in her own, letting the other girl gently lead her to the destination she had in mind.

* * *

Nanami and Kohaku had ended up at the beach off downtown Seizato, which was mercifully devoid of people at the present. For a moment, both girls stood side by side in silence, taking in the smell of the gentle ocean breeze as waves gently lapped the seashore. Finally, Kohaku spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Lady Nanami... I apologize for yesterday. The way I spoke to you was unforgivable."

Nanami shook her head. "Kohaku - it's alright. I won't pretend I wasn't a little hurt, but I'm not angry at you." She was silent for a moment before adding "Some of the fault was mine. I should have realized that it was only hurting you, keeping my feelings to myself like that."

"It isn't as if I had room to speak. After all, I..." She looked down at the ground. "There are also things that I..."

Nanami took a moment to choose her words before she spoke. "I understand... I think? Kohaku... distancing yourself from me, treating yourself as my tool... those were never entirely your choices, were they?"

Kohaku looked caught off guard by Nanami's words. After a moment of stunned silence, she nodded.

"After you were injured, Mother was absolutely livid. I wanted to see you right away, just so I could make sure you were alright. Mother didn't take that well."

 _"Is this some sort of joke, Amber?" Alexandria rounded on her daughter, who shrunk away fearfully. "Lady Nerissa was hurt because of you, and you want to see her?"_

 _"I just..." Amber stammered. "I just wanted to-"_

 _"That's your problem - you're focused on what_ you _want." Alexandria sniffed with disgust. "Clearly, I didn't raise you properly. That changes today. I_ will _shape you into someone who knows her place, someone who will never let the princesses be hurt again,."_

"From that day forwards, Mother began treating me much more harshly. My training regimen became far stricter than before, and..." Kohaku's voice caught as her eyes misted. "She called me so many cruel names and threw so many terrible accusations my way. I wanted to say something, I really did, but..."

 _Amber stood behind a corner, watching as Alexandria greeted the young princesses of Illuster. Her mother was visibly beaming as she picked up and spun Nerissa and then Celes around, as if the two were her own daughters._

 _"My, you're both growing into such fine young women, Nerissa, Celes." Alexandria smiled radiantly at the sisters. "I cannot be prouder of you two."_

 _"Thank you, Captain Alex!" Nerissa said, offering Alexandria a smile of her own. Celes promptly followed suit. "You are far too kind to the both of us."_

 _"I merely state the truth." Alexandria said. "I am so glad I was born to protect this family."_

"...Mother treated you and Lady Celes with such kindness. When I saw that, I..." Kohaku broke down sobbing. "I realized there might have been truth in her words! S-so I tried to be what she wanted! What she said you needed! I just wanted her to love me, just like she loved you two! And that's why... that's why I..."

Nanami was far too stunned for words. It was difficult to reconcile the Alexandria she had known and admired with the cold and cruel woman who had worked to break her best friend's spirits. But at the same time, Tsubasa was right. No one knew a parent better than their own child. And Kohaku's own happiness mattered far more to her anyway.

"I'm so sorry..." Kohaku was frantically backpedalling, having mistaken Nanami's shock for disapproval. "I didn't mean that... I'm sure Mother was just... she really is..."

Nanami stepped forwards and pulled Kohaku into a tight hug.

"She is a _liar_." Her eyes welled with tears as she held Kohaku close. "You never once deserved the way she treated you. You are the bravest, most dependable girl I know, and you deserved so much more than what she gave you!" She sobbed quietly. "And you deserved better than someone who could not notice how much her best friend was hurting."

"Lady Nanami..." Kohaku whispered in shock.

"It never once made me happy." Nanami said. "Every day, I stood back and let you carry out what I naively believed were your own wishes, and every day, I wished I could just have my friend back." A wave crashed against the shore. "Can we start over? I know it won't be easy. And I have a lot to answer for, after leaving you alone for so long. But..."

Kohaku was quiet for some time before she responded. "I missed you too. No matter how much I tried to be what Mother said you needed, I... all this time, I..." She broke down crying, only for her sobs to falter as she felt warmth radiating through her body.

"There, there... it's alright, Amber." Nanami said through her own tears as her hands glowed gently with pink light. There was no physical injury to heal, not this time, but maybe this could provide some comfort. "No more tears, okay?"

It was clear that 'no more tears' was not an edict Kohaku could act on, any more than Nanami could - but she still smiled gently, even as her tears continued to flow.

"Thank you, Lady Nerissa."

The two girls remained like that for quite some time. There was no more need for words.

* * *

Even as Nanami and Kohaku were finally opening their hearts to one another, Kei was dragging herself back to her workplace. The lawyer, who was currently idling outside of the law office she worked at, sighed heavily before finishing off the coffee she had ordered back at Shooting Star.

"Not even her coffee is helping today." she said morosely. "I really _am_ drained." She took in the sight of other adults in the area, many of whom were hurrying home from a long day at work or taking a break before settling in for a long night at the office like she was. Thoughts of her exchange with Kohaku last night floated into Kei's mind.

Kei dropped her empty coffee cup into the trash can. "How much longer can a person stand this?" Her eyes flitted to her watch. She needed to be back soon, but damn if she didn't want to just idle the day out here. "I hope that girl is alright…"

And then the sound of something moving near her caught Kei's ears. She blinked in surprise as a small snake poked its head up from its perch on the trash can's outer rim. As Kei stepped back, she was greeted with another snake, balanced on the branch of a tree near her, and as several more people stopped to stare, one woman screaming in alarm, she noticed several more snakes lounging about, or periscoping curiously at the sounds and sights around them.

"Heh, _finally!_ I was looking all over for you!"

As Kei tried to make sense of the snakes, a strangely-dressed and unsettlingly pale young man appeared before her. Yet another snake was comfortably draped around his shoulders - as he addressed Kei, he gently let it down and deposited it on a nearby bush.

Kei's flight or fight instinct immediately went into overdrive. "What are you talking about?"

"Your Roaring Spark, of course!" Agate said. "Let's get this started - this guy's raring to go!" Before Kei or anyone else around her could react, a circle of dark orange runes appeared at Kei's feet. "Roaring Spark!" Agate extended his right hand towards Kei, whose eyes widened in shock at the resulting stabbing pain in her heart, as the gem on its back glowed. "Come... forth!"

Kei's Roaring Spark emerged, blackened, and sunk back into her chest as her unconscious form began to transform into an Utsuroid. As this happened, Agate stood back, grinning ear-to-ear even as numerous people around him began to flee in panic.

"Not a sign of Pretty Cure, a decent victim like this, _and_ I've never felt better!" He pumped his fist. "This guy's on a roll today!"

The familiar dark energy dissipated, revealing a giant mecha, which bore an incredibly strong resemblance to the super robot on Kei's thermos from the other day, outside of its mostly-black coloration, empty gold eyes, and the dark orange gem inset into its chest. As it began to make its way through downtown Seizato, sending shockwaves through the ground, it gave off waves of negative energy, causing those around it to fall unconscious.

"Hey, wait up!" Agate shouted as he chased after his creation, using a combination of his own teleportation powers and his natural speed and strength to get himself a decent perch on the shoulder of Kei's Utsuroid. "Now that's more like it! C'mon, let's round up some negative energy for Lady Sardonyx!"

* * *

The first thing Kohaku did once she and Nanami parted from their embrace was begin laughing.

"I'm sorry, Lady Nanami..." she said through a veil of tears, "it's just - your glasses are all fogged up."

"So they are." Nanami flushed slightly as she moved to polish her now badly fogged-up lenses. "Oh my... you can tell I'm not used to wearing these all the time."

The two girls exchanged glances and burst into laughter again, clearly relishing the moment of levity that had followed their heavy conversation. And then the sound of an immense shockwave caught their ears, followed by several sonic booms. The sky over a nearby region of downtown Seizato had grown perceptibly darker as well.

"We can resume this conversation shortly." Nanami said.

Kohaku nodded dutifully before both girls hit the ground running in the direction of the sound's source.

* * *

The Utsuroid responsible for the shockwaves didn't require much searching for, once Nanami and Kohaku arrived on the scene, given how immense it was. In fact, the girls had to force themselves to come to a stop, lest it end up flattening them in its blind rampage through downtown Seizato. The area was already a terrible mess, between the numerous unconscious citizens and the heavy damage the Utsuroid had already inflicted to the asphalt below its feet and the numerous buildings.

"Katsuya-san..." Kohaku muttered, internally noting the monster's resemblance to the robot on the lawyer's thermos.

"Oh, look at that!" Agate said from his perch on the Utsuroid's shoulder, cheerfully waving a hand at the duo. "It's the princess! And Miss Knight! You actually showed up! That's... a bit of a shock, honestly." A bit of a disappointment, really. "Heard you haven't been getting on so well lately."

Nanami and Kohaku showed... absolutely no indication of having heard Agate. The girls simply glanced at one another and nodded as they readied their Roaring Compacts.

"Medal, set! Pretty Cure, Roaring Rebirth!"

"Guardian of the ocean that blooms with life! Blossom Knight, Cure Delphinus!"

"Guardian of the wind that sweeps through the plains! Tempest Knight, Cure Leo!"

"The two of us are Pretty Cure!" Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo chorused.

"Those who cruelly meddle with the hearts of others-" Cure Leo said, pointing a finger at Agate.

"We'll put a stop to your actions at once!" Cure Delphinus said, following suit.

The very second Pretty Cure finished their introductory speech, they were met with a salvo of missiles launched in their direction from chambers in the Utsuroid's shoulders. The girls immediately scrambled to avoid them, only for them to change their course, homing in on the duo.

"I despise this." the Utsuroid spoke in a metallic-sounding monotone. "I wanted him to look at me. I wanted to matter. I kept looking ahead. Because of that. My life is hollow." As Leo and Delphinus worked to deal with the missiles it had fired, the latter redirecting them with blasts of water while the former sliced through them with energy swords, it raised one of its arms, which manifested a plasma cutter as it swung it towards the Cures, who were forced to dodge and weave to avoid it as it demolished every bit of the surroundings in front of it. "I want to go back. I wish I knew better back then. I wish it was different."

Leo glanced at Delphinus as the two leapt backwards and away from another wildly-aimed attack from the Utsuroid. "Lady Delphinus... let's work hard to return her to normal. I owe her that, after last evening."

"Of course!" Delphinus gazed into her partner's eyes as they touched down on top of a nearby building, leaving a shower of colorful sparkles in their wake. "If we can be honest with one another now, if we can understand one another's hearts better, we can definitely win!"

Agate set his head to the side in confusion. "Were these two really fighting?" he muttered. "Hey, uh, Pretty Cure?"

"I don't know if I can do it readily." Leo said as the duo glanced at one another and steadied themselves before leaping into the air. As the Utsuroid shot another salvo of missiles into the air, she handily knocked them away with one of her energy swords. "Trying to be your tool, trying to keep myself from getting too close... that's been my normal for six years now."

"It's okay!" Delphinus replied as she destroyed half of the salvo with blasts of water. With the missiles out of the way, the duo landed a combined flying kick on the Utsuroid's stomach, sending it reeling backwards and nearly throwing Agate off its shoulder. "You don't have to do it all at once, Leo!"

The two girls touched down on the ground in another shower of sparkles, assuming a fighting stance. The Utsuroid tried to fire another salvo of missiles... only to find itself out. Instead, an alternate chamber in its chest opened, sending several sharp looking plasma cutters firing in the two's direction.

"If you stumble, I will be here to catch you!" Delphinus said as she knocked one of the cutters out of the air with a blast of water, leaving it to slice a nearby tree in half before embedding itself in the side of a nearby building. "If you are lost, I will be here to guide you!" she added as Leo knocked another cutter out the air with a leaping slash from one of her swords.

"Er... you guys?" Agate flailed his arms frantically in a bid to get Pretty Cure's attention. "This guy is... kind of standing up here? Hello?"

"Lady Delphinus, you're far too kind." Leo said as the Utsuroid, finding itself out of projectiles, fell to attempting to fell the two with the plasma cutters in its hands again. "I will try my best!" As she spoke, she set her sights on the gem on the Utsuroid's chest and hit the ground running.

"As will I!" Delphinus said. She joined Leo in launching herself upwards and clambering up the Utsuroid's immense form, as it attempted futilely to throw both off, in a bid to get easier access to the gem on its chest. "Because we're partners, Leo!" She offered the orange Cure a radiant smile as the duo ran up the Utsuroid's arms. "For your sake, I will not give up on you!"

" _Hey_!" Agate shouted.

Both Cures, who were halfway up the Utsuroid's arms, fixed Agate with a death glare.

"I beg your pardon!" Delphinus was radiating annoyance even as she offered Agate a polite smile. "Leo and I are having an important conversation!"

"It's rude to interrupt, you know!" Leo was staring daggers at Agate.

"R-right, sorry about that!" Agate glanced away from the Cures in shame... before he realized he was off script. "N-no, that's not it, damn it!" He ran a slightly trembling hand through his hair before rounding on Pretty Cure. "What's with you two?!" he demanded, manifesting his whip and sending several dark orange shockwaves towards the Cures, which they dodged easily. "Aren't you supposed to be fighting?!"

The two Cures simply glanced nonchalantly at one another and shook their heads before they launched themselves off of the Utsuroid's arms. Delphinus' fists glowed with pink energy and Leo's fists crackled with orange energy as the pair landed a sharp blow on the Utsuroid's chest, causing its gem to crack. The impact sent the Utsuroid staggering backwards wildly, forcing Agate to hold on for dear life. The two Cures touched back down on the ground in a shower of sparkles before readying their finishers.

"Pretty Cure! Blossom Cascade!"

"Pretty Cure! Tempest Fang!"

Once more, the two attacks converged and hit the Utsuroid… or at least Delphinus' attack did. The moment Leo's attack headed towards the Utsuroid, it raised its right hand in the air like a lightning rod and absorbed the energy of Leo's Tempest Fang into its palm, even as it took the full brunt of Delphinus' Blossom Cascade, forcing Agate to leap off its shoulder, lest he be thrown off by the impact. After steadying itself as best as it could, the Utsuroid aimed its hand at the stunned Delphinus and Leo and fired a blast of lighting back at the Cures. Leo managed to get out of the way in time. Delphinus wasn't so lucky.

"Lady Delphinus!" Leo cried as she ran frantically to the side of her Pretty Cure partner. Delphinus was lying on the ground, her outfit visibly singed from being grazed by the bolt of lightning. Although she was trying her best to look collected, she was clearly in a good amount of pain. "I'm so sorry... this is all my fault, I... I..."

 _Haven't changed at all!_ that ugly voice in her head hissed. _Look at you, getting her injured again. Pathetic._

"Huh, how about that." Agate said as he surveyed the scene in front of him. "Guess you two won't be purifying her in time." He shrugged nonchalantly as negative energy continued to flow from the Utsuroid and the unconscious civilians. "Fine by this guy - he's eager to get back to sleep anyway." Well, emotionally he was. Physically, he felt like he was about to ascend through the stratosphere.

Delphinus reached up and grabbed Leo's hand. "Leo, it's alright." she said quietly, grimacing through her pain as she hauled herself unsteadily to her feet. "I'll be okay."

"But you're hurt!" Leo's vivid orange eyes were brimming with tears. "Lady Delphinus, if it hadn't been for me, you-"

Delphinus shook her head, giving Leo's hand a gentle squeeze. "I have been prepared for this since Mother first tasked us with becoming Pretty Cure." she said. "And besides - I am willing to endure anything, as long as you're by my side."

"I feel the same way." Leo gave Delphinus' hand a gentle squeeze right back. "I have tried to be the strong one for so long - but the only time I've truly felt strong is when you're with me." Even as she spoke, she felt an odd warmth in her chest - her heart was shining with orange light.

"Funny that." Delphinus' heart was shining with pink light. "My own heart has always felt so much more at ease when you were around me, Leo. You don't have to be the strong one - just like I don't have to be the one who depends on you. Let's support one another - like partners should!"

"Erm, Utsuroid?" Agate looked worriedly at Leo and Delphinus, who were beginning to glow with radiant light. "Maybe you should go ahead and-"

Kei's Utsuroid lurched forwards... but between its damaged state and the influence of the light the two Cures were giving off, it didn't get further than a few steps before it stopped abruptly, its form spasming like the broken machine it was even as negative energy continued to pour off it.

Delphinus and Leo's eyes widened, as the words for what to say next seemed to pop into their minds unbidden.

"I have it!" Delphinus said. "Oh water, cascade and flow!" she cried, the gentle melody of a flute playing from her Roaring Compact, which spun rapidly and pulsed with pink light as energy-based flower petals swirled around her and orbs of shimmering pink water rose upwards around her form.

"Oh lightning, sparkle and dance!" Leo cried, the vigorous melody of an electric guitar playing from her Roaring Compact, which spun rapidly and pulsed with orange light as wind kicked up around her and sparks of lightning danced around her form. "Our radiantly roaring hearts-" she said, extending her free hand outwards as orange lightning energy flowed into her opened palm.

"-shall become the light that pierces the void!" Delphinus said, extending her own free hand outwards as pink water energy flowed into her opened palm.

The ornaments on the back of each girl's glove glowed in their respective colors as they formed the immense shape of a heart in front of them with the energy they had gathered. "Pretty Cure!" Delphinus and Leo chorused, as the heart began to shine with increasing intensity and shimmer with every color of the rainbow. "Roaring Hurricane!"

Both Cures flung their palms outwards in front of them, gritting their teeth and digging their feet into the ground to cope with the sheer force behind the immense, multicolored, heart-shaped laser that their combined powers had created, which blasted forth towards the Utsuroid, engulfing it in a heart-shaped explosion of rainbow light and causing the gem on its chest to shatter.

"So warm…" the Utsuroid said, as it gave off multicolored energy, which flowed towards Delphinus and Leo's Roaring Compacts, before its form resolved into that of an unconscious Kei, whose Roaring Spark, pristine and shining once more, sunk back into her chest as she was deposited gently on the ground.

Leo looked down at her hands. "I didn't know Pretty Cure was capable of such power."

"It sounded like they were capable of incredible things, judging by Siri's own accounts, but..." Delphinus paused, staring at her own hands. "Hearing about it and experiencing it for yourself are two entirely different things."

Agate slouched dramatically. "Sheesh, what rotten luck." he muttered. "Seems this guy is a guy with awful timing. Oh well," he said with a sigh as he moved to teleport away. "Next time, I guess."

"Wait!" Delphinus called after Agate, leading him to hesitate. "That girl... the one who came after us last time. Is she alright?"

"What, Tourmaline?" Agate was clearly caught off guard by Delphinus' concern for her enemies. "Yeah, she's holding up just fine - I'm sure she'll be right as rain soon enough." He shook his head, making a noise of exasperation under his breath. "You're a funny one, princess, being so concerned over the people who helped destroy your kingdom."

"I do care about that!" Delphinus said. "But... to see a girl my own age suffering so much - of course it has weighed on my mind!"

Agate looked genuinely touched for a moment... before he tore his glance from Delphinus, his lightless bronze eyes darkening slightly. S _uch naivete... we could use that to our advantage._ As a circle of dark orange runes appeared at his feet, he added "Better look out for her, Miss Knight - that's the kinda stuff people can take advantage of." before scowling and rubbing at his temple. "God, my head hurts." he muttered. And then he was gone, leaving a burst of kicked-up soil in his wake.

Leo sighed in quiet exasperation as she reverted to Kohaku in a flash of orange light. Delphinus followed suit. The damage on the surroundings incurred by their fight faded away as the two rushed to Kei's side to make sure she was alright. Showing such compassion to one's enemies... this was one point that she wasn't sure she would ever agree with Nanami on. But that didn't need saying. Not right now.

* * *

Nanami and Kohaku did not return home immediately, even after they had made sure that Kei had recovered and was back on her feet. The lawyer had seemed a bit melancholic as she had recovered and realized she had a job waiting for her, but she had immediately shrugged off concern from Nanami and Kohaku.

"It's fine." Kei had told them. "Well, 'fine' isn't exactly the right word, but... no matter how tired and burned out I am, I have an important job to do. I'm a hero of justice, in a way. Just like the robots in my favorite shows were." She had moved to head back into the law firm, before turning and offering both girls a small smile. "And just like those two girls in my dream must have been. I wonder if they're those rumored heroines?"

And then she was gone, leaving the two to head back together. Or rather, to pause on a hillside and watch the sun set together in silence for a bit, once they had arrived back in uptown Seizato - hurrying back was optimal, yes, but that finishing attack had taken a lot out of them, and besides... it was nice to just stay by one another's side, after spending a good chunk of yesterday avoiding each other.

Nanami was the first to speak. "We probably should head home soon - Tsubasa must be worried about us after yesterday, and the Orgel..."

"Yeah..." Kohaku said. She was silent for a moment longer as the two girls rose to their feet - before she took Nanami's hand in her own, offering the other girl a beaming smile. "Let's go, Nanami!"

Nanami's eyes widened in surprise, before she answered Kohaku's smile with one of her own. "Okay, Kohaku!"

And with that said, the two girls took off running towards their future, hand-in-hand.

The pair spent that night sleeping together in Nanami's bed, their fingers intertwined as Sirius laid curled up at the foot of said bed. On Nanami's desk sat the Celestial Orgel, now completely intact, as if nothing had happened to it at all, and now holding a tiny fraction of the power it had once carried within itself, power that was certain to only grow in intensity as Pretty Cure progressed with their mission.

It would be a lie to say all would be well. Really, this was just the title and the cover page of the two's adventures together as Pretty Cure. But… this was a new start. And for right now, a new start was just what the princess and her bodyguard needed.

* * *

As Nanami and Kohaku slumbered peacefully, Sardonyx stood wide awake in what had fast become the forbidden chamber in the Celestial Citadel, something malicious and distinctly alien shimmering behind her eyes as she looked down at individual sleeping on the bed in front of her.

"Soon, everything shall fall into place." Her shadow was matching her movements perfectly for once. "Pretty Cure... I have waited 3,000 years for this. Revenge shall be sweet."

Princess Celes laid on the bed before Sardonyx. The younger princess of Illuster hardly seemed alive, outside of the slight, barely perceptible rising and falling of her chest, and she did not so much as stir the entire time Sardonyx stood over her, her hands gently pulsing with dark violet energy as the princess' own heart shone with the same light.

"No matter what, victory _will_ be mine this time. I cannot fail."


	6. Episode Six

**Episode Six** : The Twins Arrive in a Cherry Blossom Storm!

* * *

Sardonyx looked better than before when she summoned the Void Triad to her audience chamber. She still clearly had a long way to go before she was fully recovered, but there was a bit more shine in her eyes and a bit more vigor in her posture. The aura she was giving off felt stronger, and even the shadow she cast behind her seemed a bit more defined. A bit more approving of this turn of events as well - not that the siblings noticed.

"You have done quite well thus far, my Void Triad." Sardonyx said as she gazed upon the siblings, who were genuflecting before her. "The negative energy you have harvested has done well to revitalize my gift."

"Thank you, Lady Sardonyx." Tourmaline's lightless gold eyes shined just a bit brighter in the wake of her boss' words. "We do not deserve such praise."

"In the future," Sardonyx continued "I would ask that you focus exclusively on harvesting negative energy and defeating Pretty Cure. All attempts to reclaim the Orgel are expressly forbidden from here on out."

The light in Tourmaline's eyes flickered and died instantly. "I recognize my failure to retrieve the Orgel last time, but I swear to you, now that I have successfully recovered-"

Selenite cast a concerned glance in her twin's direction. "Tourmaline, please don't…"

"There's no need for this." Agate sighed in exasperation.

"At the time, I did not realize the risk sending you three after the Orgel represented." Sardonyx said. "After what happened to you, Tourmaline, I cannot, in good conscience, task any of you with retrieving it."

"But!" Tourmaline protested, her eyes wide with distress as she looked up at Sardonyx. "Lady Sardonyx, I… this time, I'll-"

Sardonyx shot a reproachful glare in Tourmaline's direction, her vermillion eyes seeming to hold small fires within them.

"I am preparing an alternative means of acquiring the Orgel, one that will not involve endangering you three. You are to devote yourselves solely to what I tasked you with. _This is not a request_."

"Understood, Lady Sardonyx." Tourmaline tried to sound perfectly emotionless and not at all upset. She did not fool either of her siblings.

* * *

Some time later, the siblings, now in their human disguises, were seated outside at a table in a small cafe in downtown Seizato, the three shaded from the sun by the umbrella on said table. Tourmaline sighed heavily, resting her chin in her hands as she stared into space. Intellectually, she knew she should have been focusing on gazing into the hearts of the people around her, but she couldn't find it in her to bother.

"You sure you don't want anything, Tourmaline?" Agate asked between sips of his frozen coffee. "It might make you feel better."

"We don't need to eat or drink." Tourmaline said flatly. "And I detest doing pointless things."

"Tourmaline…" Selenite said between bites of her berry sorbet. "I think Lady Sardonyx is just scared of you getting hurt again. It's not that she doesn't trust you." She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "I don't want you to try again either. It's painful."

Tourmaline said nothing in response - it was unclear if she was ignoring her twin or just sulking, and the aura she was giving off made Selenite afraid to press the issue. It fell to Agate to quell the storm of awkwardness brewing at their table before it could get too big.

"Don't forget," he said, after a loud and noisy sip from his drink "she said we need to focus on gathering negative energy _and_ defeating Pretty Cure. We've still got plenty to do… and an untried method for that second one."

"Oh, you mean spying on Pretty Cure?" Selenite said… before shooting a nervous glance at her twin, clearly fearing another poor reaction from her. "I still want to try honestly…"

" _Exactly_." said Agate. "They're a nuisance, but they're still humans. Doubt those two would suspect too much if you got close to them and started needling their flaws."

"It's an interesting angle to take." Tourmaline said. "And Lady Sardonyx would likely appreciate us finding those two's weaknesses. _However-"_

"We refuse." Agate and Selenite chorused.

Tourmaline gaped blankly at her siblings. " _What_."

"We're preemptively counter-refusing." Agate replied, sounding a bit too proud of himself.

"That's right." Selenite bobbed her head in agreement. "We're refusing your refusal."

Tourmaline narrowed her eyes. "That's not something you can do!" she hissed. "If you're so gung-ho about this, then you do it, Agate! And don't drag Selenite into it!"

"But… it was my idea to begin with." Selenite muttered, casting her eyes downwards.

"Tourmaline, it's a girls' school." Agate said. "It'd be kinda hard for this guy to blend in there. I'll be keeping an eye on them in my own way. Most of it's just gonna have to fall to you two by default."

"Again, there is no way I will involve myself with humans." Tourmaline said coolly. And then her twin laid a hand on her own before gazing pleadingly into her eyes. "Selenite, what are you-"

" _Please._ " Selenite said. "If this doesn't work out, we can quit. But this could help Lady Sardonyx a lot... and it would give you something to do. Something that isn't..." She trailed off uncomfortably, but Tourmaline knew what she meant. "So, _please,_ Tourmaline."

Tourmaline was on the edge of refusing Selenite's request, her siblings' joint counter-refusal be damned. But something about the way her twin was looking at her, combined with the out she had been given, made something inside of her give a bit.

"Fine." Tourmaline said. "But as you said, if this doesn't work out, we quit."

"Thank you, Tourmaline!" Selenite happily pulled her sister, who remained stiff and unresponsive, into a tight hug... only for her smile to rapidly fade as something occurred to her. "Oh... but there are so many things we need. Things like human names... and those uniforms... how will we...?"

Agate grinned nonchalantly. "Leave that to this guy - all he's gotta do is pull a few strings here and there, and you two will be set! We have _definitely_ got this covered!"

* * *

"You two have seemed different lately." Amane informed Nanami and Kohaku as the three girls made their way to Sorairo Academy's front entrance yet again.

The cherry blossom trees lining the path towards the school were in full bloom by now, dusting the pathway with a small snow of pink petals. The effect was quite striking, and Nanami found it difficult to refrain from stopping to admire the sight. In fact, she had stopped to do just that when Amane spoke, prompting her to tear her eyes away from the gorgeous sea of pink.

"Oh? How so?" Nanami asked.

"I don't know, you both just seem lighter?" Amane said. "Like, there was something heavy you guys were carrying around between you, and now it's just gone?" She looked aside, scratching the back of her neck a bit. "I'm probably not explaining this well, sorry."

"No, that makes sense." Kohaku offered a small smile to Nanami. "Nanami and I have ironed out a few things recently, so I'm not quite as worried lately."

"That's right." Nanami returned Kohaku's smile with one of her own. "We were able to open our hearts to one another, and things flowed from there."

"I can tell." said Amane. "But… it's nice. You guys are cool people who I respect a lot, you know? If you're happy, I'm happy too!"

Just as Amane finished speaking, a strong wind kicked up out of nowhere, sending a hurricane of cherry blossom petals scattering every which way and forcing the Sorairo students in the immediate area to brace against the petal-filled gale. lest they be bowled over.

Right as the wind settled and Nanami, Kohaku, and Amane recovered their bearings, a pair of strikingly similar-looking girls swept past the trio. Both were noticeably pale and wore black tights and black dress shoes with their uniform. The former had short, greenish-black hair with bangs that covered one of her dark gold eyes, and the latter had gray eyes and bobbed maroon hair, which was ornamented by a black headband with a small bow. The two briefly locked eyes with Nanami as they passed her by, sending an involuntary shiver through the princess' form.

Nanami remained frozen where she was, staring after the strange newcomers, until Kohaku waved a hand in front of her face.

"Erm, Nanami?" Kohaku waved her hand in front of Nanami's face several more times until her partner snapped to attention with a squeak of alarm. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, yes, of course!" Nanami exclaimed. "It's just my mind playing tricks on me, don't worry!" she added as the three continued on their way.

Nanami didn't entirely believe her own words there, and it was quite obvious to Kohaku, judging by her expression.

* * *

"Oh, I see you got some new hair decorations, Nagisa-san!"

Nanami looked up to find Misaki and Taeko standing near her desk.

"New hair decorations?" she asked, blinking in confusion.

Kohaku looked a bit lost herself… before she took a closer look at Nanami. "I think this is what she means." she said. Rather than elaborate, she leaned forwards and began picking a few stray cherry blossom petals out of Nanami's hair, Nanami leaning her head forward to help once she realized what Kohaku was doing. "Guess I didn't quite catch them all the first time."

"Oh dear…" Nanami flushed a bit as Kohaku finished attending to her hair. Once her partner finished, she looked up and noticed a few stuck in the taller girl's hair, prompting her to reach over and set to work removing them. "Looks like you have some too… these petals are gorgeous, but they make quite the mess, don't they?"

"Sure do." said Taeko. "Gotta watch yourself with 'em - they get _everywhere_." She hummed thoughtfully before adding "Say, speaking of - are you up for cherry blossom viewing? The Hero Club usually has a get-together around this time, and you should totally come with us." She shot a concerned glance at Kohaku. "No pressure or anything, Shishioh-san."

"It's alright." Kohaku said. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but as long as there isn't a huge crowd, I think I'll be okay."

"Yes, what _is_ cherry blossom viewing, exactly?" Nanami asked.

"You don't know what-" Misaki started, sounding mildly appalled, before she cut herself off. "Ah, that's right. You guys are overseas transfers - I'm guessing it's not a thing wherever you're from?" Once Nanami and Kohaku nodded, she continued. "Anyway, you take time to appreciate those blooming cherry trees while you can! Gathering under the trees, drinking tea, enjoying delicious sweets, throwing big old handfuls of cherry blossom petals at each other - you transfers have got to give it a go!"

Nanami quirked an eyebrow at the mention of throwing handfuls of cherry blossom petals at other people - what an odd tradition! - but otherwise, she seemed quite taken with what Misaki was saying.

"That does sound quite fun." Nanami hummed thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, Himi-san mentioned having a cherry blossom grove on her family's estate. If I asked for her permission, perhaps we could hold this party there?"

Misaki and Taeko stared blankly at Nanami. She could feel several other pairs of eyes hone in on her the very second Yuzuki's name came out of her mouth as well.

"You really are a girl without fear." Misaki said.

"Yeah… did you not notice Himi-san coming to school alone lately?" Taeko said. "Those three followers of hers - she rejected them so coldly! After all the time they spent together too! She'd probably just reject you the same way if you asked."

"That definitely isn't what happened." Kohaku said. "Listen, regardless of what those three claim-"

Before Kohaku could speak any further, Amane tore wildly into 2-B like a girl pursued, drawing a bit of laughter from the rest of the class. She deposited herself roughly into her seat before checking the time on her phone and grinning in triumph.

"Safe!" Amane exulted. "And with two minutes to spare!"

"Oh, Yamaguchi-san…" Nanami said. "You're in contact with Himi-san, aren't you? Might you be able to ask her if the three of us and the Hero Club could hold a cherry blossom viewing at her home? My apologies - I still haven't been able to procure a phone yet."

Amane joined Misaki and Taeko in staring at Nanami. "Nagisa-san, you really are something else." she muttered. For a moment, it seemed as if she would shoot Nanami's request down, before she took a deep breath, clearly summoning her courage, and nodded. "Since it's _you_ asking, I will! During break, of course."

Before the chatter in the classroom could progress any further, Megumi entered the room, prompting the few students who were not currently at their desks to scramble to them.

"Stand! Bow! Sit down!" Once everyone was seated, Megumi continued. "Two… more transfer students will be joining our class today." She sounded both a bit weary and more than a little skeptical of this turn of events, and her eyes lingered pointedly on Nanami and Kohaku as she spoke.

Naturally, this proclamation sent another wave of chatter through the classroom - 'Two more? What are the odds?', 'Wonder if _they're_ from overseas too', 'This year is already shaping up to be interesting, isn't it?' - before Megumi was forced to loudly shush her class yet again.

" _Please,_ control your excitement." Megumi said sternly, before turning her attentions towards the door to the classroom. "Come in, you two."

The moment Megumi spoke, the two girls from this morning stepped into the classroom. The pair moved in perfect sync as they wrote their names on the blackboard before facing the class. The very second they did, the class began chattering again ('Oooh, so striking!', 'Are they twins or something?', 'What brings people like this here?') before Megumi shut them up once more with a reproachful glare.

"I am Yuu Hoshikawa." the green-haired girl said. Her tone and expression was almost completely devoid of emotion.

"And I am Tsukiko Hoshikawa." the maroon-haired girl said. She was only barely more emotive than Yuu. "My sister and I moved here recently. We are unfamiliar with the area, but we are eager to learn more about this city and the people here."

Neither of the twins looked entirely at ease as they spoke, between their stiff posture and the robotic delivery of their words. Kohaku couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy, knowing how her own introduction to the class had gone for her. Perhaps those two were also feeling intimidated?

"Is that all?" Megumi asked.

"That is all." the twins chorused, before turning to face the class and bowing in unison. "Nice to meet you." they said in unison as they rose, their gaze lingering on Nanami and Kohaku for just a few seconds.

Misaki's gaze was lingering on the twins, her glasses glinting as she scrutinized the two. "Hmmm… to have this many transfers close together… _something_ is up."

She wouldn't say they had to be magical girls out loud, any more than she would say that about Nanami and Kohaku, because you didn't just _do_ something like that, but one of these pairs or both _had_ to be magical girls.

* * *

As Nanami and Kohaku expected, the very second the post-homeroom break started up, the twins found themselves mobbed by their classmates, who were clearly as excited about this duo of transfer students as they were the last, the instant they got up out of their chairs.

"So, Hoshikawa-san and… Hoshikawa-san!" one student said. "Where are you guys from?"

"You guys are twins, right?" Taeko asked. "Who's older, and who's younger? By how much? Do you guys have psychic twin powers?"

"Can we use your names, or do we have to call you both Hoshikawa-san?" another student asked. "That seems like it'll get confusing."

Yuu and Tsukiko said nothing - the two seemed to be both frozen in place and completely lost for words in the face of the onslaught of questions. That was Kohaku's cue to step forwards, shooing the crowd away from 2-B's newest transfer students.

"C'mon, guys." Kohaku said. "You're obviously making them uncomfortable." As the crowd dispersed, muttering among themselves, she turned her attentions towards the sisters, trying to ignore the strange feeling of deja vu that prickled at the back of her mind. "I'm Kohaku Shishioh. Don't worry - I was really anxious on my first day too."

"It's really alright." Tsukiko said. "I just don't know what to say."

Yuu, on the other hand, simply stared impassively at Kohaku. "Are you pitying me?"

Kohaku instantly looked cowed. "N-no," she started, "I just meant you looked a bit-"

"Kohaku wasn't pitying you, Hoshikawa-san." Nanami took her place by her partner's side. "I'm sorry if she assumed incorrectly, but she was trying to be sympathetic." She offered the duo a short curtsy. "I am Nanami Nagisa, by the way. My friend Kohaku and I transferred here fairly recently as well."

"Oh? Funny how that works." said Tsukiko. "Then, could we stick with you two while we learn about this place? I'd be more comfortable with that."

"That sounds optimal." said Yuu. She was clearly not used to even trying to sound friendly. "Since our situations are similar-"

"Hey, don't forget me!" Amane said. She inserted herself between Nanami and Kohaku and gazed up at the twins, bouncing on her heels a little all the while. "There's no way I can go without introducing myself to our newest duo of transfers!"

Tsukiko's eyes widened at the sight of Amane, her mind flashing back to her attacking the girl for her Roaring Spark not long ago.

"You're-" she began without thinking.

"The rumored volunteer about town?" Amane suggested, prompting Tsukiko to breathe an internal sigh of relief. "That's right! Amane Yamaguchi, class representative of 2-B, member of the library committee, and volunteer about town - and about Sorairo, naturally!" She eagerly leaned up towards the twins. "If you guys need anything, no matter how large or small, please leave it to me!"

"You can start by getting out of my face." Yuu said flatly, prompting Amane to shrink away from her and Tsukiko. "We were talking to Nagisa-san and Shishioh-san, not you."

"Sorry. Guess I overdid it again…" Amane mumbled, dropping her gaze to the ground as her shoulders slouched. Kohaku moved to pat her comfortingly on the shoulder, and while that seemed to help Amane just a bit, she kept her gaze lowered.

"There's no need to be so unfriendly, Hoshikawa-san." Nanami frowned disapprovingly at Yuu. "Amane is just trying to be helpful."

"I didn't ask for her help." Yuu replied bluntly.

"Ah… Yamaguchi-san." Tsukiko said quietly. "I'm not upset with you. Really." Not quite the truth, but it would be bad to have the people here think ill of her. "Really, really."

Amane looked up at Tsukiko. "Really, _really_?" Once Tsukiko nodded in the affirmative, she smiled in relief. "Oh… I'm glad. I'll just…" She glanced nervously at Yuu. "I'll get out of your hair for now, then!"

As Amane headed back to her desk, the bell for the next period to ring. As Nanami returned to her seat with a polite "Sorry, we'll talk later!", a rather tense-looking Kohaku in tow, Yuu and Tsukiko looked at one another and sighed heavily before returning to their own desks, which were located side-by-side, not far from Nanami and Kohaku's.

And all the while, Misaki watched the two from her spot at her own desk, humming thoughtfully and writing into her notebook as her glasses continued to glint a little.

* * *

Amane was conspicuously reluctant to offer any 'help' to 2-B's transfers this time around - between her prior experiences with Nanami and Kohaku and Yuu coldly rejecting her, it seemed that the class representative had decided her energy was better spent elsewhere.

That left the twins, neither of whom looked happy about being stuck at their desks, to their own devices. That was quite alright for Tsukiko, who had managed to play off her complete inability to answer the several questions she had been asked that day as simple unfamiliarity with how things were taught in Sorairo, an angle her airy style of speech had helped her sell effectively. She wasn't worried about herself. Yuu, on the other hand…

"Yuu Hoshikawa-san." Tamaki Manabe said. "Could you read the first passage on page 218 of your textbook?"

"Why?" Yuu asked, staring blankly at Tamaki.

Tamaki returned Yuu's blank stare with one of their own. "I beg your pardon."

"You and the others keep giving me these orders. 'Read this', 'answer that', 'describe this'. _Why_? I have better things to be doing."

"Ah…" Tamaki said. Their lips were smiling, but their eyes were not. "I see we have a _comedian_ in this class. Shame I left my sense of humor at home." The smile immediately faded from their face. "218, Hoshikawa-san. First passage. _Now_."

Yuu said nothing. She could see Tsukiko glancing in her direction out of the corner of her eye, and although her twin said nothing, she could sense the unspoken _please, just do it_ in her eyes, prompting Yuu to fire back with an unspoken _I didn't sign up for this_ before she sighed heavily.

"Understood." Yuu said flatly before she proceeded to read the passage in a droning monotone that earned her a few irked glances from the other members of her class, along with a tiny frown from her sister. She didn't seem to notice or care. But then, 'doesn't notice or care' had been the general tone Yuu had set for herself since she had first arrived at school.

Nanami frowned, making a small noise of consternation under her breath as she watched what had been the latest in a long string of awkward, blunt behavior from Yuu. Far be it from her to judge the other girl for her antics - Kohaku, who looked more than a bit annoyed with Yuu at present, hadn't been the most pleasant person herself when the two of them had first arrived, but…

Misaki, on the other hand, was watching this display with sparkling eyes. 'Incredible' she wrote on the note she passed to Taeko, which she - mercifully - slipped to her fellow Hero Club member before Tamaki noticed. 'That's the exact kind of thing you'd expect to hear from an interdimensional visitor! We have got to learn more about these two!'

* * *

Gym class proved a to be a double-edged sword for the twins. On one hand, they still hadn't had the chance to catch Pretty Cure alone - Nanami and Kohaku had been pulled off by Amane and Nanami, respectively, to engage in the game of basketball the class was now engaged in before either girl could say much to the twins, leaving the two on the sidelines. On the other hand, this gave the sisters an opportunity to observe their rivals' movements from a distance. It wasn't quite the same as watching them fight as Pretty Cure, but it would do.

Yuu stood on the sidelines besides her sister, her visible eye flicking back and forth as she stoically observed her opponents. Kohaku had excellent arm strength, as expected of a swordswoman. Nanami was physically weaker, but she was quite light on her feet. Hm. Nanami was jostled a few times, but although Kohaku looked troubled by this, she was not falling all over herself to protect the other girl. Something had changed. Kohaku was still the faster of the two but _obviously_ nowhere as fast as Yuu. Nanami would be easier to overpower physically. As expected. This was inefficient, but it beat those pointless lectures.

Tsukiko, on the other hand, wasn't observing the Cures' movements in detail like her sister was. She was mostly figure out the objective of this game. She tried to look as detached and analytical as her twin, but it didn't stop a longing sigh from escaping her mouth at the sight of the fun everyone seemed to be having.

And then Taeko suddenly abandoned the game and ran towards the twins without warning, causing the two of them to jump slightly. "Hey, hey, you guys!" she said. "Aren't you gonna play? C'mon - what kind of girl would willingly sit out a game of basketball?!"

"Me." Yuu pointedly kept her eyes on the game and away from Taeko as she spoke. "Badger me all you want, but I refuse. That is final."

Taeko furrowed her brows and huffed in annoyance before shrugging and turning her attentions to Tsukiko. "How about you? Wanna shoot some hoops? It's okay if you aren't good at it or whatever - I can help you improve your game!"

Tsukiko cast a brief glance at her sister. Logically, she needed to say 'no' and observe these two alongside Yuu, but then, her sister seemed to have that covered on her own.

"I guess I can try?"

Taeko gave an approving shout before she led Tsukiko towards where the rest of the class was playing.

As it turned out, Tsukiko really didn't need help improving her game. Once Taeko brought her to speed, Tsukiko proved to be a natural at basketball. Not only was she quite agile, she had amazing jumping power, helping her score many a basket. By the end of gym class, she was surrounded by a throng of adoring classmates, and Yuu was still stuck on the sidelines.

As the class filed out of the gym to change out of their uniforms, a few of them casting leery glances at Yuu as they passed by, Tsukiko fell behind to catch up with her sister.

"Popular, huh?" Yuu asked. Her face was expressionless, but Tsukiko knew full well she was annoyed by her behavior.

"I don't really care" Tsukiko said as she fell into step with Yuu. "Fitting in will keep us out of trouble. That's all that matters."

"I see." Yuu replied. She didn't sound particularly enthused by the idea.

Neither sister noticed Misaki, who watched their exchange with keen hazel eyes, but she certainly noticed them. As everyone began changing in the locker room, she hurried over to Taeko, pulling her friend aside as she smiled giddily.

"Say, Tae-chan..."

* * *

The second that lunch break rolled around, and the students of 2-B began putting their desks together and getting out their meals, Nanami and Kohaku gathered up their things and got up from their desks, prompting a double-take from the twins.

"Hm?" Tsukiko tilted her head quizzically. "Where are you two going?"

"We always eat lunch together in the courtyard." Nanami said. "You are welcome to come with us if you'd like."

The mention of 'eating' had Tsukiko firing a concerned look at Yuu, as neither girl had thought to bring any food with them, and Yuu would have written it off as pointless anyway. But Yuu was already following Nanami and Kohaku towards their destination, so Tsukiko had to follow her sister's lead. It was a good opportunity to speak to these two alone anyway.

Once the Cures had seated themselves at their usual table, the twins took their places right across from them, staring blankly ahead as Nanami and Kohaku got out their lunches.

"You've really outdone yourself today, Kohaku!" Nanami said as she looked at the fried chicken and rice Kohaku had put together, causing Kohaku to flush slightly. "But… are you sure you want to keep doing this? You don't have to-"

"I wondered if I should quit." Kohaku said. "But I really enjoy cooking for everyone - and I love seeing how much you enjoy my cooking, Nanami."

Her words had Nanami flushing a little in return. This did not escape Kohaku, who looked even more flustered.

"Oh? You cook for her?" Tsukiko asked. "Do you guys live together or something?"

"That's right." Nanami said. "We're overseas transfers - we're residing at the same hist residence."

Yuu exchanged a quick glance with her sister, an unspoken _so that's what they're going with_ shared between the twins before she replied. "How interesting. So-"

"Aha! Nagi-chi! Shishi-chi! _Eccoti!_ "

And before Yuu could finish speaking, two new people decided to show up. The boyish-looking redhead, who was grinning like an idiot as she dashed towards their table, she could not place. But the other figure, the willowy girl with the dark violet hair… her, she remembered. Her visible eye widened slightly as the girl approached the table, but she didn't seem to recognize Yuu. Not that this took much edge off her annoyance.

"Oh! Hello, everyone!" Nanami motioned the class representative and her upperclassmen to sit with her. "I would like to introduce you to Yuu Hoshikawa and Tsukiko Hoshikawa - they just transferred here today."

"Nice to meet you." the twins chorused. Only Tsukiko's heart seemed to be fully in it.

"Oh, same, same!" Robin beamed brightly as she took her seat near the twins, Yuzuki sitting beside her. "I am Robin Asahina, captain of the fencing team and the sun of Sorairo Academy - here to bring sunshine into the heart of every girl in this school!" On the last part, she grinned and made finger guns in the twins' direction, drawing a quiet giggle out of Yuzuki and a small smile from Nanami.

"You're the sun?" Tsukiko asked, even as Yuu stared at Robin with equal parts confusion and annoyance. "Then... can I be the moon?"

"I'm very sorry, but I've already taken that position. Perhaps you could find another celestial body?" Yuzuki said. "I am Yuzuki Himi, Sorairo student council president, by the way. Let me know if you need any…" She trailed off, having noticed the twins' distinct lack of food. "Ah… Hoshikawa-san and… Hoshikawa-san? Aren't you going to eat?"

"Oh dear…" Nanami said, having just noticed the sisters' concerning situation. "Did you guys forget your lunches?"

"You can use our first names." Yuu said. "Hearing everyone get tripped up on our surnames like that is giving me a headache. And as for food, we-"

"-seem to have forgotten our lunches." Tsukiko slouched exaggeratedly as she gazed down at the table. "I'm very sorry…"

"That's nothing you need to apologize for." Kohaku said. "Look, you two - I always make a little bit extra, so I don't mind sharing." She began meting out a bit of fried chicken onto a couple of napkins. Nanami wasted no time in contributing some of her own.

"Yeah! Growing girls shouldn't have to go hungry!" Robin added a rice ball to each napkin. "And a good meal will always bring some sunshine into your day, you know?"

"I would not mind pitching in myself." Yuzuki shared a few of her pickled plums.

Soon, the twins had a small meal to themselves each. While Tsukiko eagerly tucked into hers, making quiet, approving noises as she ate - partly as an effort to impress the other girls, partly because even if she didn't _need_ to eat, the act and this food were still quite enjoyable - Yuu only picked at her own as she counted down the moments until the irritating upperclassmen left and she had Pretty Cure to herself. Alas, that didn't seem to be happening.

"The answer to your request is a resounding 'yes', Nagisa-san." Yuzuki informed Nanami as the group tucked into their lunch. "I made arrangements the moment Yamaguchi made that request on your behalf. Do you still not have phones?"

"Unfortunately, no." Nanami sighed. "Getting new ones is 'a hit to the wallet', as Tsubasa put it, so it might be a while yet."

"I see…" Yuzuki hummed thoughtfully. "In any case, everything should be put together by tomorrow afternoon. But…" Her eyes darkened a bit. "Are you sure everyone will come? Yamaguchi-san decided to eat elsewhere, once she heard I wanted to consult with you during lunch and became very skittish, once I suggested that she could come over. And those three really did begin to gossip about me once I 'threw them away' the other day. By now…"

"Don't worry, Himi-san. I will definitely be there." Nanami said.

"As will I." Kohaku added. "It wouldn't be at all right to make you put together a party that no one attends, Himi-san."

"And of course, you'll have me, Yuzu!" Robin turned her attentions to the twins. "But… what about you, Yuu-chi and Tsuki-chi? Doesn't seem right to leave you guys in the lurch. How do you feel about a cherry blossom viewing party at Yuzu's house? It will be an absolutely radiant experience, I guarantee it!"

Yuu stared blankly at Robin. "It sounds pointless."

"I don't know…" Tsukiko said, having taken note of Robin's downright gobsmacked reaction, Yuzuki's disheartened one, and Nanami and Kohaku's less-than-approving ones and deciding to run damage control on her sister's behalf. "I think I might like to try it."

"We'll see." Yuu told Tsukiko.

The group made polite conversation throughout the rest of the meal, but there was now a definite pall of awkwardness hanging over everyone. Yuu certainly didn't help things with her stubborn refusal to speak unless spoken to for the rest of the lunch period.

* * *

By the time the day was over, 2-B's impressions of the twins had clearly been set in stone. While a few students stopped to chat with Tsukiko as she gathered her things, everyone was giving Yuu a wide berth… not that Yuu seemed to care one bit about anyone who wasn't Pretty Cure.

Yuu approached Nanami and Kohaku as they prepared to leave together "Now that everything is over, could you show us around this school?"

"I'm sorry, Yuu." Nanami said as she shook her head. "I would love to, but I promised Yamaguchi-san I would be a part of this library committee meeting."

"And I want to meet with the fencing team." Kohaku said. "I need to figure out if I really want to join them or not."

"You're free to come with either of us!" Nanami added. "Or you could look around on your own, if you like? There are plenty of different school clubs you could join!"

"That won't be necessary." Yuu said before brusquely sweeping past the two girls, her face expressionless as always. Tsukiko immediately fell into step behind her, shooting an apologetic glance in Nanami and Kohaku's direction as she passed them by.

* * *

"Why can't we go to that party?" Tsukiko asked, glancing idly at the blossoming cherry trees that lined the walkway in front of Sorairo as she and her sister headed home. "Even if we couldn't spend much time with Pretty Cure today, that's an opportunity to do it tomorrow."

"And deal with their hangers-on?" Yuu shot back. As she spoke, a sparrow fluttered down from one of the trees and landed on her shoulder. She scratched it on the head, the ghost of a smile playing on her lips. "How pointless. Just like everything else about this place. I see no reason to continue bothering with it."

"But it's full of Roaring Sparks!" Tsukiko said. "Surely, by getting close to the other students-"

"Does a hawk befriend the animals it predates on?" Yuu sniffed dismissively as she continued onwards, the sparrow still riding on her shoulder. "Give it up. There's no point in-"

"Wait, you two!"

The twins froze in their tracks, turning around in unison to find Misaki Saegusa. Judging by how hard she was panting, the other girl had run all this way to catch up with them.

"What do you want?" the two asked in unison.

"Sheesh, you really _are_ twins." Misaki said. She took a moment to catch her breath - and offer a particularly long and pointed stare at the bird seated on Yuu's shoulder, which looked as every bit as nonchalant as Yuu. "Anyway! I totally forget to ask, but my friends and I, plus a couple other people are gonna do cherry blossom viewing at… well, I guess Himi-san's house tomorrow? And you have to come along! Please? I really, really want to learn more about you two!"

Tsukiko stared at Misaki for a moment, her eyes glinting far too quickly for Misaki to notice - but not quickly enough for Yuu to miss it. "It sounds like fun." she said. "I'll definitely think about it."

Yuu's visible eye glinted as she took her own glance inside Misaki's heart. Indeed, the other girl's Roaring Spark was shining, just not brightly enough to be worth taking… yet. "I guess it might be interesting."

Despite the rather ambiguous nature of the twins' responses, Misaki seemed quite proud of herself as they left the premises. "Nailed it! Now to wait for that party!"

* * *

Amane might have been apprehensive about Seizato's upper-class district, but Nanami felt no nervousness in the slightest as she, Kohaku, and Sirius made their way through it. Nanami could have really done without some of the looks that a few more well-dressed people in the area shot the group as they headed towards the Himi estate, but this level of opulence was something she and her fellow Illuster refugees were quite used to.

If Nanami felt apprehensive about anything, it was how pensive her partner looked at present.

"Kohaku?" Nanami asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing significant?" Kohaku lied. That matter was not something she could bring herself to bring up with Nanami quite yet. "I'm just thinking about those two. Something about them rubs me the wrong way. Or something about Yuu does, anyway." She sighed. "They were interested in us, but can we really get along?"

Nanami frowned slightly. "True, Yuu does not seem like the warmest person in the world. Or the most tactful. But I feel terribly sorry for her all the same."

"Sometimes, the coldest people are the loneliest people, true, true." Sirius said as they walked between the two girls. "I got on poorly with Altair when I first arrived at the Citadel, but we smoothed things out in the end."

"I gues it could work out." Kohaku said as the group made their way up the hill that the Himi estate sat atop. Her heart didn't seem at all in her words.

Finally, the three arrived at the front gate of the Himi estate. Compared to the Celestial Citadel, it was nothing amazing, but compared to the rest of the homes in Seizato, it stood in a class of its own. The whole package, from the house, to the surrounding land, to the path leading to the house, to the small selection of buildings surrounding the house, was an amazingly lavish affair, the exact sort of estate that Yuzuki Himi would logically become a figure of legend for residing in.

"So, this is the 'legendary Himi estate." Sirius smiled, as much as a dog could. "Feels a bit like coming home."

"It certainly does." Nanamis said, moments before the sound of frantic, fevered footsteps carrying towards her and her companions caught her ears, prompting her to turn around. "Oh, hello, Yamaguchi-san!"

"Hello, Nagisa-san." Amane said hesitantly. "Hello, everyone. I'm-" She drew a shaky breath as she took in the sight of the Himi estate, clearly unable to deal with what she was seeing before her. "Oh god. I'm going to Himi-san's house. A party at Himi-san's house. _Oh god_."

Kohaku laid a gentle hand on Amane's shoulder. "I don't blame you for feeling intimidated." she said quietly. "I'm a bit nervous about going to this party myself. But Himi-san really is a kind girl. Nanami and I spent an afternoon with her and Asahina-san not long ago, and nothing bad happened."

"So you say…" Amane responded. "But! You guys are in a completely different league from someone like me! You and Nanami and those twins, all of you fit here, but-"

"What about us?" chorused Yuu and Tsukiko, who had shown up behind Kohaku and Amane as if out of thin air, causing both girls to jump in alarm.

"Please don't do that…" Kohaku muttered as she tried to recover her bearings. Something told her the twins wouldn't care to listen, or at least Yuu wouldn't, and indeed, Yuu looked unmoved.

"Oh, hello to you, Yuu, Tsukiko." Nanami curtsied to the twins, once she was sure that Kohaku was alright. "I'm glad you decided to attend with us."

"Same to you, Nagisa-san." Tsukiko said absently, before looking towards the house, which she looked more curious about than anything. "So… how are you supposed to get past this big gate anyway?"

"Oh, that's easy!" said Amane. "You just… walk over here, and press that call button, right there! Like so!" Amane approached the button in question and… proceeded to stare at said button ineffectually, as if would bite her if she got too close. "Just press it, and in you go." She continued to not press it. "It's really simple." She still did not press the button.

Yuu stared blankly at Amane. "Why are you being so dramatic? It's just a button."

Nanami pointedly ignored Yuu's snide comment, "Don't worry, Yamaguchi-san - I can take care of it." She strode up to the call button and casually pressed it, drawing a gasp of awe from Amane and a shared glance between the twins.

There was a buzzing of static before an unfamiliar voice, clearly belonging to that of an elderly woman, could be heard. "Hello? Who might I be speaking to."

"Nanami Nagisa, one of Yuzuki Himi's schoolmates from Sorairo Academy!" Nanami said. "Along with four other people, and one dog, if that's alright? We're here to attend the cherry blossom viewing at the Himi estate."

"Ah yes, you must be the other school friends the young mistress has been speaking about." the woman said. "Please, give me a moment-"

Moments later, the gates to the Himi estate swung open. As Yuu and Tsukiko walked through said gates and along the path to the estate without a moment's hesitation, Nanami and Sirius waited for the visibly anxious Amane, who was leaning on Kohaku for support, to catch up with them before they continued on their way.

* * *

Naturally, the front entrance of the Himi estate was as ornate as the rest of it. Amane, who had to be coaxed through the front door, seemed to be the only one who was outright intimidated by the opulence around her. Nanami looked mildly intrigued at the sight of the still life paintings hanging on the walls, Kohaku and Sirius seemed more interested in what laid beyond the entrance than the entrance itself, and Yuu and Tsukiko looked utterly nonplussed by everything that was going on around them.

As the group entered and took in their surroundings, a tall and stately-looking elderly woman descended the stairs.

"Greetings to all of you." the woman said with a bow. "I am Haruno, the head maid of this estate, and caregiver of the young mistress in her parents' absence." Haruno smiled warmly, as she looked over the group of girls - and the dog - in front of her. "My, what a heartening sight. The young mistress has never brought so many people over at once."

"I'm glad Himi-san can hold a party like this now." Nanami said. "I have definitely been looking forwards to this since we first planned it out."

"It does an old woman proud, hearing such things." Haruno ushered the group further onwards. "I shall lead you to the Himi estate's cherry tree grove - your three other friends arrived here not too long ago, and they certainly seem to be enjoying themselves."

Glances were exchanged between Nanami and Kohaku at the mention of what had to be the Hero Club. Of course, Misaki and her friends would have rushed here the moment school was out, given how enthusiastic Misaki and Taeko had been about cherry blossom viewing.

"Admittedly, the young mistress and I had to coordinate everything on rather short notice." Haruno said. "I apologize sincerely if anything is not to your liking."

"Don't worry!" Nanami said. "Just being able to spend an afternoon viewing the cherry blossoms together like this is all I wanted!"

The twins exchanged glances as the group went along. Certainly, this would let them get better insight on Pretty Cure and certainly, there were far fewer people involved than before, but...

* * *

The Himi estate's cherry tree grove was like something out of a storybook. It was a sizable affair, with blossoming cherry trees as far as the eye could see, forming a beautiful sea of pink. Petal-covered branches swayed gently in the wind, as a snow of pink petals covered the ground and still more danced through the breeze like gentle rain. Nanami couldn't help but smile at the sight, letting a few petals land in her palm as she took in everything around her. The Blossom Knight was truly in her element right now.

And then there were the preparations that had been made for the cherry blossom viewing itself. A handful of sizable tables had been laid out and bedecked with a wide variety of cherry blossom-themed sweets, from cherry blossom cookies to cherry blossom pudding to cherry blossom mochi. Several blankets had been laid out beneath the trees in the area, in preparation for a relaxing picnic beneath the cherry blossom trees.

As Nanami and the others took in the sight before them, Yuzuki approached the group, Robin following closely at her side. Yuzuki looked resplendent in a flowing, lilac lily-print dress and high heels, and her girlfriend certainly matched the theme in her sunflower-print button-down shirt and khaki pants.

"Hello to you all." Yuzuki greeted the group with a polite bow. "I'm so glad you showed up today."

" _Ciao_ , everyone!" Robin offered an exaggerated bow of her own. "Hope you enjoy the party Yuzu put together! And the cherry blossoms, of course! They're so… beautifully fleeting in their beauty! Of course, they're nothing compared to Yuzu's beauty, which lasts all year."

Yuzuki flushed slightly at that last part before regaining her composure. "Now… to be fair, Robin, I simply planned everything out." Yuzuki said. "The real credit belongs to Haruno-san, the rest of my serving staff, and the various businesses I enlisted in the area." Then, to the group as a whole "Feel free to sit wherever you want and enjoy as many sweets as you would like - there are plenty to go around. I could also prepare some tea for everyone if you want?"

"That would be quite lovely, thank you." Nanami said. As Amane, who had looked nothing short of terrified in Yuzuki's presence, skittered away, muttering something about needing to reserve a spot for everyone, Nanami looked around the cherry tree grove. "I wonder where Saegusa-san and the others are?"

"Shishioh-san! Think fast!"

Nanami got her answer in the form of a huge handful of petals, which were sent hurtling towards Kohaku, who did indeed, think fast and sidestep the blow expertly, saving her from taking a bunch of petals to the face… and letting them go smacking into Tsukiko's face instead.

"W-wha-" Tsukiko stammered, blinking hard as she tried to register what had happened.

Yuu stared at Tsukiko in bafflement before wheeling on Taeko, who was standing a few yards away with another handful of petals at the ready. " _Why_?"

"C'mon, Yuu! It's a tradition this time of year!" Taeko chirped as Misaki and Sakuya came into view from behind some nearby cherry trees.

"Taeko, that doesn't mean you can ambush people out of the blue." Sakuya said. "It wouldn't hurt to ask before you-" Before he could finish that sentence, Taeko jumped in alarm and sidestepped an incoming handful of petals, leaving them to hit him in the face.

" _Whoops_." Kohaku said nonchalantly, even as she scooped up another handful of petals. "Ichizaki-san's not that bad at dodging herself."

"Shishioh-san." Sakuya said calmly. "I am a reasonable man, but I cannot ignore a clear declaration of war." He threw another handful of blossom petals at Kohaku, who sidestepped them once more, before running off further into the grove. "Catch me if you can!"

As Kohaku gave chase, Taeko following closely behind her, Yuu rolled her eyes. This stupid party hadn't even started yet, and they were up to this sort of nonsense already? Maybe she would be better off just-

-and before Yuu could go anywhere, Misaki had grabbed her by the arm and began leading her off.

"C'mon, Yuu, don't be a stranger!" she said. "There's so much we need to talk about!"

Yuu hissed under her breath in annoyance as she was dragged off, before shooting a _you stay here - I'll focus on Leo_ sort of look at Tsukiko.

Tsukiko fired her best _understood - then I'll focus on Delphinus_ kind of look back at Yuu before returning to mingling with Nanami and the others, quietly hoping her sister didn't start anything with Kohaku and company all the while.

* * *

" _Commozione!_ These are absolutely _heavenly!_ " Robin said as she bit into a sakura mochi. She, Nanami, Sirius, Amane, and Tsukiko were sitting on the blanket that Amane had reserved for the group, everyone enjoying a picnic of sweets beneath the cherry trees as they waited for Yuzuki to return with the tea. "A blossom viewing has to be like this!"

"This really is quite enjoyable." Nanami broke a cherry blossom cookie in half and offering a piece to Sirius, who eagerly accepted it. "Seeing things like this makes me glad I was able to come to this country." Maybe she could bring some cherry blossom seeds to plant in Illuster once she returned? It was a long shot, but… "I'll definitely miss this once we return."

"That's right, Nagisa-san…" Tsukiko had assembled quite the collection of sweets in front of her and had already sampled a fair amount of it. Since Yuu was distracted on the other side of the grove, she couldn't tell Tsukiko how pointless eating was, so why not go hog wild? "Where are you from, exactly?"

"Oh, nowhere significant." Nanami exchanged a brief glance with Sirius. "Just overseas."

"How delightfully vague." Robin said. Coming from anyone else, that would have sounded insulting, but the sun of Sorairo Academy very clearly meant that as a compliment. "As it so happens, I'm also from overseas, Nagi-chi!" Then, in her soft, drawling English, she added "Good old Marietta, Georgia, to be exact!"

"Oh? Marietta sounds like a lovely place." Nanami replied in English. "I would like to go."

"Geez, you two. Way to show off." Amane laughed softly… before freezing up once she sensed Yuzuki returning with a tea kettle and cups of tea for everyone.

"Yamaguchi-san, are you alright?" Yuzuki asked as she began pouring hot water for everyone present, starting with Robin. "You have looked a bit ill since you first arrived here."

"It's nothing!" Amane squeaked before looking down at her hands. "Nothing at all!"

"Yamaguchi-san…" Nanami laid a gentle hand on Amane's own. "It's alright. No one here is going to make fun of you for how you feel."

"That's right." Yuzuki said as she continued pouring hot water for everyone. "Please believe me - I want my guests to be comfortable."

Amane was quiet for a few moments before she spoke up. "I really don't belong here." she said. "Himi-san and Asahina-san are cool and elegant upperclassmen. Nagisa-san and Shishioh-san are interesting and admirable people. The twins are intriguing and mysterious. The Hero Club i. fun and unique. I'm not anyone compared to everyone."

"Huh?" Tsukiko said quizzically. "Didn't you say you were the rumored volunteer about town yesterday, Yamaguchi-san? And you're also our reliable class representative, right? Both of those sound plenty important to me."

"I was just talking myself up. As I do." Amane scrutinized Tsukiko's face for any hint of insincerity. "Do you really mean that?"

"Really, really." Tsukiko was internally amazed at herself for speaking so casually to a girl she had attacked not that long ago. "You're like a hero, Yamaguchi-san."

Amane flushed a little. "That's right…"

"And I kind of get how you feel?" Tsukiko continued. "I feel out of place myself right now. It seems like everyone here already knows each other, while it's just my sister and me. I don't think I've had any friends my age beyond her."

"It is quite easy to feel that way." Nanami said. "I had little in the way of friends growing up, save Kohaku and my little sister. But I have been able to get along with so many people so far, simply by reaching out to them - and I am certain that you and Yuu will be able to do the same, Tsukiko!"

Tsukiko… seriously doubted Yuu would want that for either of them, but that didn't bear saying. "You have a sister, Nagisa-san? Huh… I guess that's… sort of one thing we have in common? I'm a little sister myself, so…"

"Oh, me too!" Amane said. "I wish I had a twin sister like you, Tsukiko… I'm stuck with a brother, alas."

"I have one of those too." said Tsukiko. "A sister and a brother who's older than both of us."

"Oh, _ew_." Amane wrinkled her nose. "I'm sure yours is as big of a pain in the side as mine is."

"Fellow big sister over here!" Robin said.

"I am an only child, alas." Yuzuki, who had since joined everyone at the picnic, said. "I'm a bit jealous of you all - it must have been nice, having a playmate around." She glanced over at Robin. "Speaking of Irene, how is she faring?"

"Oh, she's… she's alright." Robin sounded distinctively un-sunny for a moment before she promptly buried her attention in her tea.

"Huh… there are a lot of sisters here." Tsukiko glanced over at Nanami. "Your little sister is back… overseas, right, Nagisa-san? Do you talk to her often?"

Nanami looked distinctly uncomfortable at the mention of Celes. "She is, and we really haven't been able to." She absently buried a hand in Sirius' fur as she spoke.

"Oh…" Tsukiko responded. "That must be hard. If I was separated from Yuu like that, it would tear me up inside."

"It is difficult." Nanami said quietly. "I miss my little sister every day, and I know she must be terribly lonely without me." As if Celes was much of _anything_ now, with how everyone in Illuster had been left. "But… this isn't forever. Once my stay here is over, we'll see each other again. It isn't as if she's gone."

"That's one way to look at it, I guess." Tsukiko mentally scoffed at the idea of Nanami ever getting her family back. That was impossible. Sardonyx would never allow it, and by proxy, neither would Yuu. "You really are the optimistic type, aren't you, Nagisa-san?"

"She really is!" Amane said. "And that's why we love her, right, everyone?" As she spoke, she glanced nervously at Robin and Yuzuki, clearly gauging the latter's reaction to her words.

Yuzuki smiled reassuringly at Amane. "That's right."

As the group continued to chat and enjoy sweets and hot tea underneath the cherry trees, Nanami sighed quietly, memories of her family - especially her little sister - playing in her head even as she tried her best to enjoy herself along with the others.

"Celes…" she muttered under her breath, oblivious to how fixedly Tsukiko was staring at her.

* * *

Even as Nanami enjoyed tea and sweets with Yuzuki and the others, Kohaku was getting caught up in a petal-throwing match with the Hero Club. _Very_ caught up, as it happened - it had been over six years since the bodyguard had allowed herself to cut loose like this, and once she let herself get going, it was difficult to stop and nigh-impossible to hear that awful voice in the back of her head telling her off for doing anything that wasn't serving Nanami. _Good_.

"You fight well!" Kohaku told Sakuya, smiling confidently as she expertly sidestepped another wild salvo of petals. "But your power levels are nothing compared to mine!"

"She's fast!" Sakuya wiped a bit of sweat from his brow - a product of both how hard he, Kohaku, and the rest of the Hero Club had been running around and the fact that he was wearing a hooded blue sweatshirt plus two other layers in warm spring weather.

"Yes… it seems her strength far outstrips our own." Taeko said grimly, she and Kohaku watching one another keenly for each other's next move as both girls readied another handful of cherry blossoms. "But! We have friendship on our side, Sakkun!"

"That's right!" Sakuya gathered a handful of petals of his own as he matched Taeko's faux-dramatic delivery beat for beat. "With my friends by me… I have nothing to fear!"

"Take this!" Taeko and Sakuya cried in unison as they threw a salvo of cherry blossom petals at Kohaku. "Dual Cherry Blossom Storm!"

And right after Taeko and Sakuya did this - and successfully hit Kohaku, who was genuinely far too impressed and amused to not let her assailants succeed with their 'combined finisher', a handful of cherry blossom petals smacked Taeko in the back.

"Hey!" Taeko said indignantly, wheeling to face Misaki. "What was that for, Misaki-chan?"

"All's fair in love and war, Tae-chan!" Misaki said before she ran off, forcing Taeko to chase after her. Soon, both girls were laughing at the top of their lungs as they weaved around the various cherry blossom trees in the area, tossing petals at each other as they went.

"Sheesh…" Kohaku picked flower petals out her hair. "Those two are great at making their own fun, aren't they?"

"They sure are." Sakuya wiped more sweat from his face with the sleeve of his hoodie. "It's been like that since I've met them - and I wouldn't change it for the world." He glanced over at Yuu, who had spent the past while watching the proceedings blank-faced while leaned up against a nearby tree. "Hey, Yuu, was it? Don't you want to play?"

"No." said Yuu, who was internally boggling at the fact that she, a proud warrior of the Void Clan, had been reduced to watching one of her rivals and a few utter nobodies running around throwing flower petals at each other like idiots. "It looks stupid."

Kohaku frowned at Yuu. "Look, if you're not into it, just say that. There's no need to tear other people down for not enjoying what you do." Once Yuu replied with a dismissive shrug, Kohaku decided dealing with her wasn't worth it. Instead, she turned her attentions to Sakuya, who was now leaning heavily against a tree, fanning himself all the while. "Hey, Futaki-san, are you okay? You look a bit hot."

"Yeah, I… think I need a break." Sakuya said. "Could you get me some water, Shishioh-san?"

"Sure!" Kohaku said. "I'll get some sweets for everyone too."

Before Yuu could say anything, Kohaku had taken off in the direction of the tables, leaving the older twin to take off after her quarry… or try to. The minute she tried to follow Kohaku, Misaki popped up in front of her.

"Yuu!" Misaki led her towards a nearby picnic blanket, which Taeko had deposited herself onto, with Sakuya following soon afterwards. "We've gotta talk!"

"Why?" Yuu shot a glare in Kohaku's direction. How dare she prioritize attending to that boy over remaining here. "Aren't you going to keep playing?"

"Not while Sakkun's worn out like this!" Misaki plonked down on the picnic blanket and motioning for Yuu to do the same, which she did… positioning herself as far from the others as possible. "And there's some stuff we need to discuss! So…"

For the next few moments, Yuu and the Hero Club sat there in silence, the Hero Club apparently daring one another to say something to Yuu and Yuu weighing the benefits of just leaving these pests to themselves and tracking down Kohaku... before Misaki finally let out a loud noise of exasperation and threw up her hands.

"Oh, to heck with it!" Misaki said. "There's no point tiptoeing around it! Yuu, tell me! You and your twin sister are totally magical girls, right?"

Yuu stared blankly at Misaki. " _What_."

Misaki was completely undeterred by Yuu's nonplussed response. "Sorry to pry, but! I'm a magical girl expert! I know how to recognize magical girls perfectly! And I know for a fact that there is a magical girl running around right now, and that she started up her activities quite recently!" She paused thoughtfully. "Although… if it's you _and_ your sister, maybe it really is two magical girls?"

"Oh, Misaki-chan." Taeko sighed. "How _little_ you know. They _could_ be a two-in-one hero, you know." She turned her attentions to Yuu, grinning eagerly. "I'm right, aren't I? The two of you are one magical girl, right? So… how do your powers work? And what does your bike look like? You have a bike, right? Because Misaki-chan and Sakkun say magical girls don't have bikes, but I say they have to have a bike, because it doesn't have to be like it is on television, and Riders-"

"Taeko, they definitely do not have bikes." Sakuya said. Taeko stuck her tongue out at him. "And Misaki… again, you're jumping the gun. It's just like Nagisa-san and Shishioh-san - sure, they're mysterious, sure they're transfers, but it could all be a coincidence."

"Look," Misaki said, "one set of mysterious transfer students is interesting, two sets are… it's just way too convenient!" She looked at Yuu, leaning further and further towards her as she spoke. "I mean, the timing, you guys' cool yet horribly awkward behavior, your lack of knowledge about little things like school lessons - you two are totally alien magical girls, right? Right? I promise I won't tell if you tell me! I definitely promise! So… please tell me if you are!"

Misaki was so lucky that she had a Roaring Spark worth observing - and indeed, it was growing steadily brighter as she spoke - Yuu mused as she let the other girl's headache-inducing words go in one ear and out the other.

"Why do you care so much?" she asked as she pulled away from Misaki, oblivious to Kohaku returning with food and a cold glass of water for Sakuya.

"Because magical girls are super cool!" Misaki smiled appreciatively as Kohaku sat a plate of sweets in front of her. "I've felt that way since I saw _Sailor Moon_ for the first time! To see a ditzy, clumsy crybaby like Usagi Tsukino getting to wield ultimate power? It was so inspiring! From that moment, magical girls became my passion! The kind of people I admire most!"

"Personally, I prefer tokusatsu." Taeko wasted no time in tearing into the sweets Kohaku presented her with. "But," she added between bites of food "the action in many magical girl shows is top-notch! I wish I could see one of Pretty Cure's fights for myself… I bet her fights are even cooler than what you see on television!"

"I'm a guy, so obviously, I can't entirely relate to magical girls." Sakuya said between sips of water. "But… they did help me understand more about myself, and I love their aesthetics. Design sensibilities like theirs are something I try my best to work into my art."

Kohaku smiled as she joined the others in sitting down at the picnic blanket. It was nice seeing the Hero Club be so passionate about magical girls, even if there was no way she was going to admit to being Cure Leo in front of any of them. But Yuu… Kohaku did not appreciate how Yuu was looking at the trio of friends as they spilled their hearts out to her. She didn't like it at all.

"That's stupid." Yuu said, once the Hero Club had finished their explanations. "It's all stupid."

"There's no need to tear others down, Yuu." Kohaku said reproachfully.

Yuu pointedly ignored Kohaku. "Why do you care so much about made-up stories?" she asked. "It isn't real, so why rely on it for guidance? Why not admire actual people? Or find strength in yourself? That's the way to live."

Taeko was a bit red. "What is your problem?"

"Oh, I don't know, Tae-chan." Misaki said. She looked completely unperturbed by Yuu's words. "She does have a point? Kind of?"

Kohaku did not relent. "Would you stop?" she asked the still-impassive Yuu. "I get not fitting in. I get being uncomfortable. I felt so out of place when I first arrived at Sorairo. I even made Yamaguchi-san cry because I didn't control my feelings Even now, I'm still trying to adjust. But you-"

"Shishioh-san, maybe we shouldn't do this." Sakuya said quietly.

"No, Futaki-san, she needs to hear it." Kohaku said. She kept her gaze on Yuu all the while. "Yuu Hoshikawa, you have been blunt to the point of being mean since you first arrived here. Why yes, it's important to be honest! But you know, there's thing called 'tact'! Can't you think of others' feelings before you share your own?"

Yuu stared wide-eyed at Kohaku in the wake of the other girl's rant. Emotionally, she had half a mind to drop this schoolgirl act right here, just so she could punch Kohaku in her stupid face. But logically… Misaki's heart was just about ready to harvest. She and her sister had to get away from this nonsense and take advantage of this opportunity. And maybe she could get just a bit more mileage out of this charade before she allowed herself to indulge in her violent impulses.

Crying on cue took effort on Yuu's end, given how disconnected she was from her emotions. But somehow, she managed to make her eyes water and her voice waver after a moment or two of concentration.

"Th-there..." she stammered, her form trembling as she broke down crying. "There's no need to be so cruel!"

Before anyone present could say anything, Yuu fled the scene in tears. She made sure she passed by Tsukiko as she escaped into the Himi estte.

"Oh dear…" Tsukiko said as her sister ran past. She managed to sound genuinely concerned, and she was… about why Yuu was putting on that act. "Sorry, everyone." she said as she rose to her feet, bowing apologetically before she went after her twin.

Once Nanami saw a visibly distressed Kohaku hurrying after the twins, she frowned in concern before apologizing to the others and going after her partner, Sirius following at her heels.

None of them noticed Misaki following them into the Himi estate a few moments later.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Nanami." Kohaku, still visibly rattled, said quietly as she and Nanami wandered the Himi estate, trying to figure out where the twins had gone off to. "I just wanted to get Yuu to realize how inconsiderate she was being - I didn't think I was going to make another person cry."

"I know that, Kohaku." Nanami gave her partner's hand a reassuring squeeze as they continued their search. "It isn't in your nature to deliberately hurt people." She sighed. "I just hope we are able to smooth things over with Yuu. She is... difficult, yes, but I really do want to get along with those two."

"I'm sure it'll be doable!" Sirius said. "Altair and I got off on a similarly poor foot at first. I called them out for how unpleasant they were being, and they got horribly offended. They vowed to never speak to me again after that."

"Oh?" Kohaku asked as she paused in her tracks, listening for any sign of the twins. "What did you do?"

"Tried to come to an understanding with them." Sirius said. "It took time for them to open up, but once we got to know each other, I helped them mellow out a lot. We've been really close since then." Their voice grew a bit quieter and their ears drooped a bit on that last part.

"You really miss them, don't you, Siri?" Nanami asked, scritching the librarian behind the ears in an attempt to comfort them.

"Every day." Sirius said quietly... before perking right back up. "But… now that we have the Orgel, now that you two are working together in earnest, I think we'll be okay, yes, yes. We'll definitely meet again."

Unbeknownst to the group, they had an eavesdropper in their midst - Misaki. She had just wanted to apologize to Yuu, but it seemed she had ended up hearing something much more important. Yes, it was extremely important, the leader of the Hero Club mused as she ducked behind the nearby corner she'd been peeping around, feeling her heart pounding a mile a minute.

The dog… Nanami and Kohaku's dog was _talking_. The dog was _obviously_ a magical girl mascot. Those two had some kind of magical music box. They were on a mission. Her first guess was… entirely correct. Those two _were_ magical girls! Magical girls were _real!_ The news made her want to shout with joy… but that would risk those three hearing her, which was the last thing Misaki wanted. Supporting magical girls in secret was the ideal.

So instead, Misaki waited for Nanami and her two companions to walk away, lest they ended up overhearing her trying to escape, before she snuck off, feeling as if she was walking on air the entire time. She couldn't wait to tell Taeko and Sakuya the news.

* * *

"That was amazing acting." Tsukiko said as she and Yuu stood side-by-side in one of the Himi estate's bathrooms, which was every bit as spacious and ornate as the rest of the Himi estate was. Both sisters were looking into the mirror in front of them as they stood at the dual sinks the bathroom sported, one washing sweets residue off her hands as the other splashed water on her face. "You looked like you actually had your feelings hurt."

"It _was_ amazing, Selenite." Yuu carefully examined her eyes for any lingering traces of redness before splashing a bit more water onto her face. "Especially since I don't have feelings to hurt in the first place."

Tsukiko could eagerly debate that point, but she knew it wasn't worth the effort. "Of course."

Both twins shut off the faucets before heading over to the bathroom's automatic hand dryers.

"That girl… her Roaring Spark is ready to harvest." Yuu's voice was barely audible over the loud roar of the dryer.

"I see…" Tsukiko said. "I really don't want to interrupt the party, but…" She noticed the reproachful look her sister was shooting her. "Lady Sardonyx's aims are more important."

As the sisters finished drying their hands, a knock sounded at the door.

"Yuu, Tsukiko?" the two heard Nanami ask. "Are you in there?"

Yuu rolled her eyes before answering with a genuinely tearful-sounding "Just leave me alone!"

"Please give us some space!" Tsukiko called. "I promise we'll be out in a bit!"

"Maybe we should go, Nanami." Kohaku could be heard saying. "If we pester them too much, we'll make it worse."

The twins waited until they heard Pretty Cure's footsteps receding into the distance before Tsukiko nodded.

"That's right… everyone's happiness is beautiful but fleeting. Like the cherry blossoms, it will fade. Thus, it is unnecessary." As she spoke, sparkles danced around her form as her appearance shifted to her Void Clan attire, and a circle of silver runes appeared at her feet. "Leave it to me, Tourmaline."

Yuu smiled as she watched her twin vanished in a burst of sparkling silver light before she sat back, waiting. That was right… it was all pointless. The celebrations at this party, the emotions of Pretty Cure and her irritating classmates, those three's stupid fixation on imaginary stories… it would all vanish. That was how it was meant to be.

* * *

Misaki was practically skipping as she returned from the Himi estate. All thoughts of the twins had vanished from her mind for the time being as the conversation she had overheard played in her head over and over. God, she was barely able to stand with how giddy she felt! To think she'd get actual confirmation of these two's… these three's actual natures! Could her day get any better than this?

"Hm? Saegusa-san?" Yuzuki asked, looking terribly concerned at how dazed the younger girl seemed. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes!" Misaki's glasses glinted in the sunlight. "In fact, it's more than alright! Everything's coming up Misaki!" She gave a giddy shout as she dashed towards where the rest of the Hero Club was, feeling her heart pound harder by the moment.

"Sae-chi is shining brightly today!" Robin said between bites of the cherry blossom parfait she was currently enjoying. "I love it!"

Misaki was forced to abort her wild dash in Taeko and Sakuya's direction due to an unforeseen roadblock - a small rabbit, which was staring up at her with wide eyes, apparently completely unafraid of the teenage girl who had almost tripped over it.

"Oh! Hello, little guy." Misaki said. "Funny, I didn't see any rabbits here before…"

Amane blinked as she noticed the sudden crowd of rabbits flocking to where Misaki was… before her eyes widened in horror, as a buried memory suddenly rushed to the surface of her mind.

"Saegusa-san!" she cried, rushing to her feet and towards the other girl. "Look out!"

"Yamaguchi-san?" Misaki stared at the class representative in confusion. "What are you talking… about?" The last bit of her response turned into a question as she noticed the circle of silver runes at her feet, which were holding her fast to the ground.

"There you are." Selenite coolly approached Misaki. "I'm really sorry, but you're going to be my target this time."

"Huh?" After a moment, Misaki's eyes lit up in realization. "Oh! Oh, I get it! You're one of the people who turns people into monsters! And you're going to rip out my Pure Heart Cyrstal or my Dream Mirror or my Star Seed or something, right?"

"That's right… you're the girl from last time!" Amane was defiantly staring down Selenite, even as she trembled all over. "Leave Saegusa-san alone, you monster! You can just attack me again, right? Take me instead!"

"Monster…" Selenite echoed, looking pointedly away from Amane. The other girl's words bothered her… but why? She was just a pointless roadblock. Just like the others. "Whatever. You're useless to me, unlike her." Then, to Misaki. "And what's with you? You sound really nonchalant about all of this."

"Oh no… I _am_ scared." Misaki said. "Who wouldn't be afraid of having their Star Seed taken out? It seems painful. But…" She smiled defiantly. "No matter what, Pretty Cure will _definitely_ save me! Because that's what magical girls do! So I'll keep smiling!"

As Misaki spoke, Taeko and Sakuya rushed towards the scene, followed by Yuzuki and Robin. Selenite pointedly ignored the group as she extended her left hand towards her target, the gem on its back glowing.

"Roaring Spark… come forth, please?"

Misaki cried out in pain as her Roaring Spark was forcefully ripped out of her chest, drawing a look of utter horror from those present.

"Misaki-chan!" Sakuya and Taeko shouted, before the latter went running towards her friend, only to be flung backwards and sent smacking onto the ground by the burst of dark energy released as Misaki's Roaring Spark blackened and sunk back into her chest.

Once again, Misaki's form was surrounded by a sphere of dark violet energy, which grew larger and larger as the sky above grew darker and the wind in the area kicked up, blowing cherry blossom petals every which way. Moments later, it dissipated, revealing an immense black monster with empty gold eyes. Said monster sported blond hair, worn in a manner to Misaki's own, wore a modified blue and red sailor uniform, complete with gloves, boots, and a tiara, and sported a silver gem on its chest ribbon.

"That's right…" Selenite said as she watched everyone present collapse and begin giving off negative energy, letting that and the negative energy given off by the Utsuroid itself collect into her gem. "Pretty Cure will show up. They probably will save you. But in the end... victory will be ours."

She sounded as if she was genuinely trying to convince herself of such things.

* * *

When Nanami, Kohaku, and Sirius emerged outside, they were greeted with a horrifying sight. The formerly blue and sunny sky over the cherry blossom grove had grown gray and stormy, a strong wind was whipping the cherry blossom trees every which way, sending petals scattering into the air like a small blizzard, and there was no sight nor sound of their classmates. The clear explanation for all the above stood right before them - an Utsuroid with a very recognizable hairstyle, accompanied by its summoner, Selenite, who sat perched on its shoulder.

"You two!" Sirius said. "Transform!"

Nanami and Kohaku nodded in unison before readying their Roaring Compacts.

"Medal, set! Pretty Cure, Roaring Rebirth!"

"Guardian of the ocean that blooms with life! Blossom Knight, Cure Delphinus!"

"Guardian of the wind that sweeps through the plains! Tempest Knight, Cure Leo!"

"The two of us are Pretty Cure!" Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo chorused.

"Those who cruelly meddle with the hearts of others-" Cure Leo said, pointing a finger at Selenite.

"We'll put a stop to your actions at once!" Cure Delphinus said, following suit.

"Oh… it's Pretty Cure, of course. Hiiii." Selenite said apathetically, waving a hand in greeting. "And… byeee."

The Utsuroid gave a shout of joy as it rushed towards the Cures. As it drew close, a heart-tipped wand appearing in its hand as it approached. It swiped said wand at Delphinus and Leo, prompting them to leap out of range… only for it to blast a stream of pink energy hearts at the airborne Cures, knocking them out of the air and right into some nearby cherry trees, sending an explosion of petals scattering into the air.

"I'm glad… I'm so glad!" the Utsuroid said as Cure Leo helped Delphinus to her feet before the two were forced to deal with another salvo of heart-shaped energy blasts. "Magical girls are real! All this time, they were real all along! The truth _was_ out there!"

"That's odd…" Leo said as she sliced several incoming hearts clean in half with an energy sword. "She doesn't sound like she's in despair at all."

"You're right." Delphinus blasted the hearts that Leo couldn't destroy with long-range bursts of water. "She seems… happy."

"Huh? Who said you had to be feeling bad to become an Utsuroid?" Selenite said. "We can use any emotion, as long as it's strong enough… including that girl's joy. At least worthless things like that can be made useful."

"Don't say such things!" Delphinus said as she and Leo fended off more magical blasts from the Utsuroid's wand. Unlike before, it seemed this one's source of ammunition seemed limitless… unless she was right about that wand. "Saegusa-san's feelings aren't worthless!" She shot an unspoken _please cover for me glance_ at Leo.

Leo nodded the moment she sensed Delphinus' request. She was still worried about her princess' safety, but they were partners now. She had to trust her. As Delphinus darted off in one direction, Leo steeled herself before leaping towards the Utsuroid and aiming a flurry of slashes at it with her energy swords. As expected, it countered with a storm of energy hearts, forcing her to cut through them to get closer.

"Saegusa-san's love of magical girls… the joy everyone felt at the party… the happiness I felt getting to play with everyone - all of those things are valuable!" Leo said between attacks. "We won't let you erase them from the world!" Once she got too close to the Utsuroid, it gave up on firing energy hearts at her and attempted to smack her with its wand… which was the exact thing Leo was planning for. "Delphinus!"

"Okay!" Delphinus rushed towards the Utsuroid seconds before its wand could connect with Leo. "Pretty Cure! Blossom Cascade!" As the resulting stream of water and petals fired connected with the wand, it glowed pink before dissolving, leaving the Utsuroid weaponless.

"Oh dear…" Selenite said. "But… I'm not done yet! Utsuroid!"

Before Delphinus or Leo could land a blow on the Utsuroid, it removed its tiara, which turned into a razor-sharp discus of light, and threw it at the duo. Pretty Cure managed to get out of the way in time, but the grove behind them wasn't so lucky - the discus sawed through many of the trees behind them, leaving the grove utterly decimated.

"Those blossoms… their beauty is fleeting, right?" Selenite said as she surveyed her handiwork. "Even if I don't destroy them, those blossoms will eventually fade away, right? Just like your happiness. Just like that girl's excitement. You're better off without such things."

"No…" Delphinus said. "You're wrong! Even if such moments will fade away, they're still worth protecting!"

Delphinus and Leo nodded to one another, before leaping into the air and aiming a combined leaping kick at the Utsuroid's chest before it could attempt to throw its tiara again, cracking the gem on its front ribbon and sending it stumbling backwards.

"Regardless of how you feel about others' happiness, you have no right to take it away from them!" Leo said as she touched down in a shower of orange sparkles.

"We will fight for the happiness of everyone here!" Delphinus said as she touched down next to Leo in a shower of pink sparkles. "Our precious classmates, who I wish to protect! Our upperclassmen, who I admire! Yuu and Tsukiko, who I wish to become closer to! For their sake…"

"...we will not give up!" Pretty Cure chorused.

Selenite stared at the Cures as they spoke. They were fighting for her and Tourmaline's sake as well? Were her sister present, she would surely would write that off as the rambling of a pair of idiots who had been deceived far too easily, but Selenite…

...for a brief moment, the notion of other people, even her enemies, fighting to protect her happiness brought a brief shimmer of light to Selenite's dull and glassy eyes, along with a burst of warmth in her chest that she could not recall ever having felt before.

As the Utsuroid struggled to recover, Delphinus and Leo looked at one another before linking their hands as they faced it down together.

"Oh water, cascade and flow!" Delphinus cried.

"Oh lightning, sparkle and dance!" Leo cried. "Our radiantly roaring hearts-" she said, extending her free hand outwards as orange lightning energy flowed into her opened palm.

"-shall become the light that pierces the void!" Delphinus said, extending her own free hand outwards as pink water energy flowed into her own opened palm.

"Pretty Cure! Roaring Hurricane!" Delphinus and Leo chorused as their combined finisher fired towards the Utsuroid, prompting Selenite to jump out of the way before she could get caught up in the attack. Multicolored light enveloped the Utsuroid as the gem on its chest shattered.

"So warm…" the Utsuroid said, as it gave off multicolored energy, which flowed towards Delphinus and Leo's Roaring Compacts, before its form resolved into that of an unconscious Misaki, whose Roaring Spark sunk back into her chest as she was deposited on the ground.

Selenite said nothing. She appeared to be lost in thought, even she summoned her circle of runes and vanished in a burst of sparkling silver light.

Tourmaline sniffed in disgust as she watched the proceedings from her perch on the rooftop of the Himi estate. "Fighting for our sake… would you still say such things if you knew who we were?"

Of course they wouldn't, Tourmaline told herself, seconds before she also vanished in an upward gust of wind. They were enemies and not to be trusted. No one was worth trusting outside of her siblings and Sardonyx. No one at all.

* * *

Yuu and Tsukiko emerged from their hiding spot in the Himi estate not long after all the damage inflicted on the cherry tree grove had faded away and everyone had returned to consciousness. The twins, both of whom looked rather drained and terribly lost, stumbled outside to find the rest of the group trying to recover their lost spirits with what remained of the refreshments.

"What happened?" Yuu asked Nanami. She and her sister were sitting a few feet from everyone else, and even now, Yuu was refusing to do anything more than half-heartedly nibble on sweets. "Tsukiko was helping me clean up, and then…"

"...we can't remember much after that." Tsukiko said. "Just... when we came to, we were on the floor. I think we passed out?"

Glances were exchanged between Misaki and the rest of the Hero Club.

"Oh, you two have no idea." Misaki said. "It's a long story. And an exciting one! And one I… must hide the full details of to protect the parties involved." she said cryptically, prompting a confused glance to be shared between the Illuster refugees. "But… more importantly!" She shot a beaming smile in Yuu's direction. "I've been thinking about what you told me, Yuu, and you know what? I won't give up my admiration of magical girls! Even if most of the magical girls I admire are part of 'made up stories'. No one can make me do that! But!"

"But?" said Yuu, who looked very lost right now.

"But you were kind of right? About needing to be inspired by myself? Sooo… I'm going to do that! I'm going to become a magical girl that I and everyone else can believe in!" Misaki said before grinning flashing a peace sign. Most of those present - Tsukiko included - looked anywhere from slightly confused to receptive to outright enthusiastic. Yuu still looked horribly lost.

Taeko nodded firmly. "And I'm going to help her!"

"As am I." Sakuya added. "After all, the members of the Hero Club must support each other, no matter what."

"Truly... thank you so much, Yuu!" Misaki said.

Yuu stared at Misaki in confusion. "You're… welcome?" Being thanked like this elicited strange feelings within her, and she wasn't sure if it was disgust with Misaki's utter stupidity or something else entirely.

"While we're on the subject," Kohaku glanced towards Yuu. "I'm sorry. I wanted you to be more considerate of others' feelings, but it seems I hurt yours. Are you holding up okay?"

Yuu blinked in confusion at that one... until she remembered that yes, right, she had faked having her feelings hurt. "Oh... yes, sure. I'm perfectly fine." she said flatly.

"There's no need to worry about Yuu." Tsukiko informed Kohaku. "She's made of pretty stern stuff." She took a sip of tea, trying to ignore the unease gnawing at the back of her mind due to earlier events. "Even now, we still want to get along with you two."

"I'm glad to hear it." Nanami smiled warmly at Yuu and Tsukiko. "Let's become better and better friends from now on."

The twins smiled in unison at that one and nodded, a gesture that at least seemed friendly on the surface... seconds before Yuzuki set her teacup aside.

"Alright, everyone." she said. "Now that we're all sufficiently recovered from the... incident from earlier today..." She sprang to her feet and grabbed a handful of cherry blossom petals. "I wouldn't be averse to one of those petal fights you all were having earlier. Let's make it an all-out battle royale this time."

" _Perfezionare_! A brilliant idea - as expected from Yuzu!" Robin clapped her hands together before joining her girlfriend. "Let's go!"

"The student council president really is a surprising person." said Amane as she moved to join the battle.

Soon, everyone assembled was involved in a full-scale cherry blossom tossing match. Even Yuu was getting involved, however half-heartedly.

 _That's right, Pretty Cure... we'll become better and better friends_. Tsukiko thought as she and Amane chased each other around the cherry trees. _All for the sake of defeating you._

 _If it's for Lady Sardonyx's sake, we can do anything._ Yuu thought as she threw a half-hearted handful of petals at Misaki. _Anything to secure her ideal world._

"Smile while you can, Pretty Cure." the twins chorused as they briefly regrouped with one another beneath a nearby cherry treeed. A malicious smile play on their lips as they took in the sight of their rivals and their schoolmates. If only these people knew what sort of girls they had chosen to trust.


	7. Episode Seven

**Episode Seven** : For My Sister's Sake! Megumi's Worries

* * *

Nanami had been waking up earlier than she used to as of late. Her dreams being far more peaceful than they had once been had a great deal to do with that - it wasn't as if the nightmares were gone, but they were far scarcer. The restoration of the Orgel, which laid on her desk, filled with the Rainbow Energy she and Kohaku had gathered so far, combined with her and Kohaku's improving relationship shared a good deal of credit on that front.

And then, thought Nanami as she readied herself for a new day, there were the twins. Those two were strange, but it would be nice to get to know them better in the future.

Of course, Nanami mused as she descended the stairs, all these things didn't negate the dull ache the loss of her mother and little sister, along with her countrymen left. But… she didn't need to dwell on that, especially with how things had been going. She needed to press onwards without faltering until all was resolved. Thus, Nanami made her way into the main area of Shooting Star…

...and was hit by tension thick enough to slice a knife through. Some of it was given off by Kohaku, who looked terribly pensive even as she busied herself making breakfast, Most of it was rolling off Tsubasa, who was cleaning up Shooting Star and looking both very irritated and rather worried every step of the way. Sirius, currently in their humanoid form, was seated at a nearby table with a book and a cup of tea, their ears drooping as they looked from the pensive Kohaku to the irritated Tsubasa and back again.

"Ah, Lady Nanami." Sirius waved a hand the moment they sighted the princess. "You're up unusually early, yes, yes."

"That I am, Siri." Nanami said before glancing concernedly around the room. "Pardon, but… is everything alright, Kohaku, Tsubasa? Did something happen?"

Kohaku jumped once Nanami addressed her, only keeping the omelet she was preparing from splatting on the wall through her lightning-quick reflexes… and a quick burst of magic.

"N-no, nothing's wrong, Nanami!" she said… before shaking her head. "Alright… something _is_ wrong, but now's not the best time to discuss it."

Nanami nodded as she seated herself at the counter, having caught the implicit 'we'll discuss it later' in Kohaku's words. The taller girl was clearly nervous about bringing up whatever was on her mind, but she was _trying_. _That_ was all Nanami cared about in the end.

"Come to think of it…" Kohaku shot a quick glance in the direction of Tsubasa, who was cleaning the counters with enough force to make one worry about her breaking them. "I have no idea why _she's_ so wound up. Is everything okay, Tsubasa?"

Now it was Tsubasa's turn to jump in alarm. " _What_?!" she snapped, right before catching herself. "No, sorry, I just..." She let out a hiss of exasperation as she sat her rag down and pressed a hand to her temple. "Look, this is kind of out of nowhere, but has Meg said anything odd to you guys? Anything at all?"

"Aozora-sensei?" Nanami shot Kohaku an appreciative smile as the taller girl presented her with her breakfast. "Hm… she hasn't _said_ anything to us, but now that I think about it, she has been staring at us quite frequently."

"Oh, so I wasn't imagining it." Kohaku breathed a sigh of relief as she finished serving everyone's breakfasts before sitting down to eat her own, blowing vigorously before taking each bite of eggs. "She looks kind of like she suspects us of something."

"Oh dear, dear…" Sirius' ears flattened against their head . "I was so sure the paperwork I helped you prepare was convincing…"

"Sirius, trust me, I doubt it's any flaw in the paperwork." Tsubasa said as she returned to her cleaning. "It's that I'm looking after you two at all. Meg's been badgering me about you kids from the second she knew you were staying here. She's been especially wound up ever since I asked her if she could help me pay for you guys' phones."

"Oh my…" Nanami said. "Tsubasa, I sincerely apologize for - if this is causing problems, I'm certain we could look for an alternate-"

Tsubasa raised a hand, cutting Nanami off. "It's not your fault that I have a busybody for a sister. She's been like this for years, especially where I'm involved. If you two weren't in the picture, it'd be something else. If she gives you trouble, come to me. I'll sort it out."

"Duly noted." Kohaku said.

"I'm certain you'll be able come to some sort of an understanding." Nanami said. "You two are sisters, after all."

Nanami received little more than a non-committal noise of assent from Tsubasa in return. As she returned to her breakfast, she tried her best to push down the dull ache that any talk of sisters had been summoning in her heart lately. There was no point on dwelling on that, especially given Tsubasa and Kohaku's concerns. No point at all.

And as for Tsubasa, she returned to her cleaning... only to pause at the sight of the object sitting near Kohaku's schoolbag - yet another, slenderer bag, which held her practice rapier.

"Bringing swords to school again, are we?" Tsubasa asked wryly.

"Of course." Kohaku said between bites of her eggs, her tone equally wry. "I could only hold out so long." She shot a small smile in Nanami's direction. "That's half of why I decided to join the fencing team. I felt awkward only holding a sword as Cure Leo."

"Oh, Kohaku. That's just like you, isn't it?" Nanami said affectionately, causing Kohaku to flush a bit.

Things like this didn't take her mind entirely off those other matters, but they helped. Just being able to speak with Kohaku like this did so much for her state of mind.

* * *

Misaki and Taeko were engaged in quite the animated conversation once Nanami and Kohaku stepped into 2-B. Nanami couldn't make much sense of it - she caught something about 'co-ords' and 'domains' and 'coding' and 'net idols'... along with another mention of magical girl motorbikes from Taeko. The moment the two sensed the Cures' approach, they quit conversing and proceeded to stare fixedly at the duo.

"Is… everything alright?" Nanami asked.

"Yeah, of course!" Misaki said. "Everything is totally fine... _except_ …" She frowned slightly. "Have you guys seen Yuu? I really want her input on a few aspects of my current project. She did kind of inspire it, so..."

"I haven't seen her or Tsukiko this morning. Sorry." Kohaku motioned towards the doors that led towards the balcony outside the classroom, clearly wishing for Nanami to follow her outside.

"Maybe they were like Yamaguchi-san and went in early?" Nanami said. "I'm certain you'll see her soon, Saegusa-san. Now, if you will excuse me-"

Nanami followed Kohaku to the second-floor balcony outside of 2-B. The smell of ocean air was particularly pronounced here, and the Cures had an excellent view of the many Sorairo students milling about outside, along with the sight of the sparkling ocean some distance away. Not that Kohaku could bring herself to care much about any of that. No, what mattered now was getting _that_ matter off her chest before it ate her from the inside out.

"Listen, Nanami." Kohaku started. "I mean nothing bad by this, and I sincerely apologize in advance for-"

"Nagisa-san? Shishioh-san? You're here too?"

Kohaku fell silent as she and Nanami turned stiffly to find Amane, who was leaning on the balcony's front railing, having clearly been engaged in a bit of people-watching up until now.

"Erm... hello, Yamaguchi-san?" Kohaku said awkwardly.

"I'm sorry if I overheard something I shouldn't have!" Amane sounded more than a bit panicked. "The archery team didn't need my assistance for as long as I thought they would, so I figured I'd come back here to- I can totally leave if you want!"

"It's perfectly alright!" Nanami said. "You were here first, Yamaguchi-san."

"I guess that _is_ true, isn't it?" Despite Amane's attempt at sounding nonchalant, she had to spend a moment scrutinizing Nanami or Kohaku for any signs of disapproval before she finally relaxed. She returned to people-watching for a moment before adding "Hey… Nagisa-san, Shishioh-san… since we're here like this, can I ask you something?"

"Fire away." said Kohaku, who was a bit annoyed at not being able to get that matter off her chest… and simultaneously relieved at not having to face it quite yet, given the subject matter.

"Why did you lie about what happened to me back then?" Amane asked. "I didn't actually pass out, did I? It was… I was like Saegusa-san, right?"

Both Nanami and Kohaku looked momentarily lost for words for a moment.

"Yamaguchi-san…" Nanami said. "That's… I apologize, at the time, I wasn't thinking about-"

Amane shook her head. "I'm really not that mad at you two if you did lie! Really, really! I guess I'm a little... unsettled? But I totally get it! That looked painful, and given my mental state at the time…" She laughed nervously. "I guess I probably would have taken all of that extra hard. But still..." She scrutinized the two keenly. "Are you Pretty Cure?"

Kohaku froze up completely at that one. "Yamaguchi-san?" she sputtered.

"Why would you ask something like that?" Nanami sounded far more composed than Kohaku but still a bit rattled.

Amane threw her hands up defensively. "I didn't mean to freak you out! It's just... I was thinking about what happened at the cherry blossom viewing, and I thought 'there had to be some profound reason they lied' and..." She shook her head. "Now that I said it out loud, it doesn't make any sense, does it?"

"I think it makes perfect sense." Nanami said. "But… what would you do if we were Pretty Cure, Amane?"

Amane looked momentarily stunned at the use of her first name. "I'm… not sure? Probably just support you two from afar, Nanami, and… Kohaku? Is that okay?"

"It's fine." said Kohaku. She wasn't exactly in much of a mood to smile, but she offered Amane a small one anyway.

Amane smiled right back. "I'm glad. I knew you guys were something special from the moment we met, Pretty Cure or not! Not that I'd tell if you were! Friends don't blab friends' secrets!" She nodded firmly before adding "By the way - have you guys seen Tsukiko? There's something I wanted to ask her."

"I don't believe so, unfortunately." said Nanami, quietly grateful that the subject had shifted away from her and Kohaku being Pretty Cure for the time being. "I'm certain she and Yuu will show up eventually. After all, homeroom is far from over."

* * *

Yuu and Tsukiko had long since arrived at school, but the two were not _in_ school. No, the twins, who did not care one whit for Earth and its silly rules about where students could and could not go, were perched on top of the roof of Sorairo's classroom building, their expressions perfectly impassive as the wind rustled their hair.

"The sky looks very beautiful today." Yuu said as she watched the clouds drifting by in the beautiful blue vista stretching before her, a far cry from the frozen gray landscape that hung over Illuster.

"But it will fade soon, right?" Tsukiko said as she scanned the crowd below for any particularly bright Roaring Sparks.

"That's right." Yuu kept her eyes on the clouds as she spoke. "And it's fine. In Lady Sardonyx's ideal world, no one will care what _anything_ looks like."

"Of course…" Tsukiko said absently. "That's how it's meant to be."

The twins spent a few moments silently cloud-watching and people-watching before there was a burst of dark orange light and kicked-up soil behind them, followed by Agate materializing.

"There you two are!" he said. "What are you doing all the way up here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Yuu refused to so much as look in her brother's direction as she spoke. "Shouldn't you be searching for Roaring Sparks right now?"

"Can't a guy take a moment out of his day to check up on his little sisters?" Agate shot back in exasperation. " _Anyway_ , how's the schoolgirl routine going, you two? Any developments?"

"Nothing significant so far." Tsukiko said. " _But_ …" she added with a smile "Pretty Cure doesn't suspect us at all. They really _are_ stupid. And there are plenty of Roaring Sparks here. School is nice, really…"

"I hate it." Yuu said bluntly. "School is pointless. And inconvenient. But…" she added, "there _are_ strategic advantages to infiltrating this place. So, I'll stay."

Right as Yuu spoke, the bell in the school clocktower began to chime.

"I'm guessing that's your cue to get going." Agate said. "Have fun - and don't worry! While you two are tied up with school, this guy will find a good Roaring Spark! Leave everything to your big bro!" He flashed his sisters a peace sign before vanishing.

Yuu rolled her eyes as Agate departed. "As if I require your help." she sniffed. "Even with my movements restricted, I can easily locate optimal Roaring Sparks. Can't I, Selenite?"

"Of course you could, Tourmaline." Tsukiko replied dutifully. "My sister is the best."

"Especially with you by my side." Yuu flashed her sister a smile that was equal parts friendly and malicious. "After all, the two of us are always of one mind."

Both sisters vanished off the roof, leaving an upward gust of wind and a burst of sparkling light in their wake.

* * *

As Yuu and Tsukiko made their way back to Classroom 2-B in stony silence they overheard something that sounded a bit like their homeroom teacher's voice around the corner. Both twins looked at one another before edging towards the source of the voice - the teacher's lounge, which had its door open just a crack, allowing them to spy on the two people within.

"I get it - I'm probably being paranoid." Megumi was saying as she paced the room. "But something isn't checking out here. Four transfers in a row is probably a coincidence. I get it. But those two came out of nowhere! They might as well have fallen out of the sky for all I know-"

Yuu and Tsukiko froze up. There was no way someone like her could have possibly known-

"-and every time I ask Tsubasa about Nagisa-san and Shishioh-san, she's all 'Oh, Meg, don't worry about it', 'They're good kids, Meg', 'I can handle this, Meg!' No, she _can't._ "

The twins breathed a collective sigh of relief. So, this was about Pretty Cure after all.

"They haven't caused any problems, have they?" Tamaki, who was idly leaning against the wall of the teacher's lounge, said. "The worst I've had to do was confiscate that note from Shishioh-san. Otherwise, those two have been fine. I really don't see what you're so worried about."

"Yeah, that note…" Megumi said as she removed the note in question from her blazer pocket and unfolded it, scowling as she went back over its contents - or at least attempted to -. "It bothers me. Or the script that it's been written in does. That's _clearly_ not Japanese."

"So, a couple of friends write in secret code." Tamaki deadpanned. "What of it?"

"There's… I don't know, there must be _something_ of it!" Megumi shot back, her tone and body language growing more agitated as she spoke. "It's not _normal,_ and something about those two is! It's _off,_ and Tsubasa dropped this on me so _suddenly,_ and she won't _communicate,_ and there has to be a _reason_ she's being so cagey, there's always one!" She groaned in exasperation. "I'm sorry, Manabe-san, I'm really not making any sense-"

"No, you're really not." Tamaki replied.

The twins broke away from spying on the two teachers and pressed themselves against the wall nearby. Megumi was making perfect sense. Pretty Cure wasn't normal, after all. But… Megumi's agitation and paranoia would be useful for their cause, judging by how brightly her Roaring Spark was already shining, the two mused as a small smile played on their features. Now, if they could give her a little push…

Megumi exhaled slowly. "Guess I'm the same worrywart little sister I've always been." she said quietly. "But I'm never wrong where Tsubasa is involved. Mark my words, Manabe-san."

Yuu and Tsukiko wasted no time in hurrying off to class the very second they saw Megumi begin to head towards the entrance of the teacher's lounge. It wouldn't do either of them any good to be caught lingering here like this. Not when Pretty Cure were supposed to be the ones Megumi looked at with suspicion.

As the sisters slipped away, Megumi stepped out into the hallway. "That's odd…" She looked down one end of the hallway and then the other, an uneasy frown crossing her features. "I could have sworn I was being watched just now."

It couldn't have been those two. Despite Megumi's worries over their origins, they did seem like good kids. And good kids wouldn't spy on their teacher like that… _right?_

* * *

The mounting feeling of _wrongness_ that had been plaguing Megumi as of late did not go away once she started teaching class in earnest. In fact, it only intensified.

It started in homeroom – the minute she stepped into class, she had felt a sudden chill in the air. At first, she had dismissed it out of mind, but then she had felt a slight breeze hit her where there logically should have been none. The fact that it had come from Nanami and Kohaku's direction logically meant nothing at all, but...

...if it meant nothing, then why did those two look so unsettled?

Homeroom continued as normal, for the most part, save for what sounded like those two whispering amongst themselves. But couldn't have been anything but the product of her own paranoia because they were very clearly not doing anything but staring ahead, and not at her, oh no, these two wouldn't have cause to watch her, and then…

...not long after that, math class rolled around, and things became especially weird.

The note she had snatched in her pocket had seemed to up and float right out of said pocket, as if blown by a stiff breeze, and towards Kohaku, forcing Megumi to abandon her lesson to snatch it out of the air. She kept losing her place in her lesson planner with how the pages seemed to turn on their own. And then…

...she could have sworn she had heard her blackboard shift off the wall for a moment, as if it the screws holding it there had somehow loosened themselves - and judging by the small buzz of anxious chatter in 2-B, that had not been her imagination running away from her. And when she shot a glance over in Nanami's direction, she could have sworn she saw the girl's hands glowing pink for a second.

Not that they were. Not that any of this was their doing. That was patently ridiculous. They were good, normal girls, who probably had perfectly legitimate reasons for being dropped on her sister out of nowhere… weren't they?

* * *

Something was terribly wrong. Like Megumi, Nanami had initially written this off as the product of her own worry-burdened mind, but by the time she had been required to use her magic to keep the blackboard from dropping off the wall, she was ready to chalk this up to the work of a malicious presence.

At a few points, Nanami had found herself glancing over at the twins, but the two appeared to be trying their best to pay attention to the lesson that Megumi was at least attempting to teach, with Tsukiko handily solving each equation offered. The two hardly seemed to notice or care about the weirdness around them.

At least Kohaku shared Nanami's unease. By the time break rolled around, she had grown visibly rattled.

"I'm probably imagining things." she said quietly. "But… I don't think the screws in the blackboard were _that_ loose. Or that the air conditioning would be so erratic."

"If you are, so am I." Nanami cast a concerned glance at Megumi, who was busy gathering her things and clearly trying very hard not to stare at her and Kohaku. "Either this classroom is haunted, or-"

"Haunted? What do you mean by that?"

Yuu and Tsukiko were standing near Nanami and Kohaku. The two might as well have teleported, with how silent their approach had been.

"What, you didn't notice the weird stuff that's been happening since homeroom?" Kohaku asked Yuu.

"No." Yuu replied after sharing a glance with her sister, who was stealing the occasional glance at Megumi. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"More importantly," Tsukiko said "could I ask about that guardian you mentioned? We were wondering if we could visit you after school. You did say we should stick together as fellow transfers, right?"

"That is true…" Nanami frowned at Yuu's remarks. There was no way that she and Kohaku could have collectively imagined what was going on, but "Are you familiar with the cafe Shooting Star? It's the home of the best cup of coffee in Seizato."

"So its proprietor claims." Kohaku said. "But then, she has a right to it."

"Anyway," said Nanami, we live with that proprietor - Tsubasa Aozora... Aozora-sensei's sister, as it happens."

"Small world, isn't it?" Kohaku was trying to sound playful, but there was a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Oh… I've never heard of that place." Tsukiko said. "But I'd love to visit. Living in a cafe sounds fun." She wasn't actually sure if it sounded fun, but this made her sound better, right? "I want to try 'the best cup of coffee in Seizato'. Don't you, Yuu?"

"I don't care." Yuu said bluntly. Her visible eye briefly flitted towards Megumi, who seemed to be deliberately taking her time packing up. "Is it just her and you two there? That sounds rough."

"That's right." Nanami mentally apologized to Sirius as she spoke. "But I don't think it's been too bad? Kohaku and I try to stay out of Tsubasa's way, and she's a pretty tough lady herself. I can't say we've had problems."

"So you say." Yuu replied. "But Nagisa-san, we older sisters love to put on tough fronts for our younger sisters, don't we?"

As Yuu spoke, she and Tsukiko felt Megumi's Roaring Spark shine more intensely. The twins could have jumped for joy at that one, would that not have blown their cover.

"That's true…" Tsukiko said. "If Yuu was in her situation, I know she'd be putting on a brave face. She doesn't like for me to worry." As Megumi pointedly left the room, but not before shooting a lingering glance towards Nanami and Kohaku, she added "Not that it's my business."

Kohaku shifted uncomfortably. "Trust me, it's not that bad."

"If you say so." the twins chorused. As the two moved to slip out of the classroom themselves, they paused.

"So, can we come over after school, then?" Tsukiko asked.

"I don't see why not?" Nanami said. "It's a public building, so you two don't need to ask permission. You will have to wait for us, though. Kohaku and I both have club meetings to attend first. You're welcome to come along if you want?"

"We'll see." the twins said in unison.

And then the sisters were gone, quietly consulting amongst themselves all the while, leaving Nanami and Kohaku alone to marinate in the lingering unease that earlier events had stirred up.

* * *

Nanami and Kohaku were stuck eating lunch in the courtyard again, since Amane had been pulled into an emergency club meeting, and the twins had up and vanished on the two before they could ask if they wanted to eat together. Normally, that would be a bit lonely, but all things considered, this was perfectly serendipitous. They had a private matter to discuss, after all.

"So…" Kohaku began a few minutes into the two's lunch. Spitting this out felt like pulling teeth, but after the weirdness from earlier (which had abruptly ended after math class, somehow making it even more unsettling), this was almost a welcome distraction.

"So…" Nanami echoed, before trying to look as reassuring and open as possible. "What's on your mind, Kohaku?"

Kohaku, who was clearly encouraged by the front Nanami was putting on but still more than a bit nervous, took a deep breath before speaking. "It's about Celes."

Nanami stared at Kohaku in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well…" Kohaku tried her best to push away the mental specter of Alexandria, who was quieter these days but still very much there, as she spoke "...those three can't touch the Orgel without harming themselves. They claim the Orgel was already emptied for them."

"That's right." Nanami said. "Unless they were lying, and Sardonyx could open the Orgel? She doesn't seem to be the same as them."

"I don't think that's right." Kohaku said. She gathered every bit of courage she had before she went further. "Nanami… I mean absolutely nothing against you or the rest of your family by what I am about to say. The notion has been eating at me like acid since it originally occurred to me during our first day at this school. But-"

Nanami reached across the table, gently laying her hand over Kohaku's own. "It's fine." she said. "You can tell me anything at all. We're partners, aren't we?"

Kohaku nodded hesitantly. "Only members of the royal family can even open the Orgel. It has had to be you opening it when we transferred the Rainbow Energy we gathered into it. And…" She had to pause to swallow. "Celes went missing right before everything happened. Even before all of this, she had been acting-"

"Kohaku… I'm sorry, but _no._ " Nanami said firmly. "It's _not_ Celes."

"N-no, _I'm_ sorry!" Kohaku flinched away from Nanami. "You're right, it could have been Sardonyx, it was terribly disrespectful of me to implicate the royal family in-"

Nanami shook her head. "I'm not upset with you." she said gently. "And I'm not objecting because Celes is royalty, I'm objecting because she's my little sister. She knew full well that the Orgel was not a toy. Mother took years before she could handle its magical energies. A child like herself had no chance. The two of us discussed this multiple times."

Kohaku looked down at the table. "I apologize sincerely for-"

Before she could say anything further, Nanami had moved next to her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"We'll resolve it soon, I promise." she said quietly. "No matter who is actually responsible, we will take care of everything together. As partners."

"As partners." Kohaku echoed, leaning into Nanami's hug. That part she could believe wholeheartedly. The part about Celes being innocent, not so much, horrible as that was.

As this went on, the twins watched the duo from their hiding spot behind a tree, Yuu using the wind to carry the pair's rather confounding words towards her and Tsukiko.

"That child from back then? Helping us? How stupid." Yuu sniffed. "As if Lady Sardonyx would ever stoop to needing a child's help."

"But we don't know how the Orgel was opened…" Tsukiko said.

"Does it matter, Selenite?" Yuu shot back. "Quit dwelling on the past. It won't help us. All that matters is securing Lady Sardonyx's ideal future."

Tsukiko cast her eyes downward. "Understood, Tourmaline…"

"That's right." Yuu responded as she continued to observe her rivals. "After all, older sisters know best."

* * *

Yuu had no real intention of taking Nanami up on her offer. There was no point in joining any kind of school club. She was here to gather information on Pretty Cure and locate decent Roaring Sparks. To do anything else would be a waste of her precious time, not to mention pointless. After all, this would all vanish soon enough.

Tsukiko really did want to check out the school clubs. Even now, as she and her sister approached the school gate, she was stealing longing glances at the numerous Sorairo students who were heading off to the club building or getting ready for sports practice. They all looked so happy, and reminding herself that it was all fleeting and therefore worthless did not lessen her longing either.

"So..." Tsukiko said as she and her sister lingered by the front gate. "Now what? If we keep standing here like this, we might look suspicious."

"I don't care." said Yuu. She was already looking suspicious, between her emotionless demeanor and the birds crowding around her, two of which had perched on her shoulders. "Unless it's those two, why should others' perceptions matter?"

Tsukiko was tempted to give an honest answer to that one, but something told her it wouldn't be worth it. Instead, she promptly changed the subject.

"Hm... I wonder if our quarry is still in the building. Maybe I could look for her?"

"Excellent idea." Yuu said. "I suppose that would be an efficient-"

Suddenly, the birds Yuu had attracted fluttered away as the sound of footsteps reached her ears. And then a stranger appeared from around the corner. She was a girl of about eleven, with frizzy, shoulder-length red hair and blue eyes hidden behind round, thick glasses that gave her a rather owlish look. She wore an outsize T-shirt, cargo pants, and beat-up looking sneakers, and she was carrying a fencing bag over her shoulder.

The twins stared blankly at the young girl. She stared right back for a few seconds, her face every bit as expressionless as theirs, before dropping her gaze, pulling a pen and a notepad out of one of her pants pockets, and writing on it before showing the message to Yuu.

'Sorry to scare your bird friends away.'

Yuu made a non-committal noise in response. "They won't go too far."

'If you say so' the girl wrote. 'Come with me, please?'

Yuu shot a quizzical glance in Tsukiko's direction, before staring at the girl. "I guess I _could_ do that." she said. "It isn't as if I have anything better to do." A lie if there ever was one. She and Tsukiko had quarry to deal with. Unless this child had a decent Roaring Spark, she was useless to her. "However, I ref-"

And then Yuu glimpsed into the girl's heart, and her words died in her throat. Her Roaring Spark shined with an intensity so bright as to be almost blinding. And yet, although Yuu could see its light, she could not feel it. Her Roaring Spark was encircled by a glassy barrier, and something told her that would make its removal impossible. The sight made her scream internally in frustration, even as she stared fixedly at the young girl, who was fast looking like she wanted to run away from the twins.

'Is that a no' the girl wrote. 'Sorry. I'll go.'

"No." Yuu said. "I can help you." Then, to her sister. "Have fun, Tsukiko."

"Will do, Yuu." Tsukiko flashed her sister a small smile as she took off in the direction of Sorairo's campus, leaving Yuu and the girl with the strange Roaring Spark alonne.

Yuu was quiet for a few moments, listening to the rustling of the wind and taking in the sight of the birds flocking in the nearby cherry trees, which were still raining petals like gentle snow. She would have remained like that indefinitely, had the girl not insistently pulled her sleeve again.

"Okay." she said flatly. "Where to?"

'Fencing hall' the girl wrote. Her legs were shaking slightly, and it was clear as she fell into step with Yuu that she was forcing herself to move, as if she was a soldier marching into enemy territory and not an elementary schooler visiting a junior high school campus. 'Sister forgot her sword at home'.

"Oh, I see." Yuu said. "So, you're a little sister who looks after her big sister? I appreciate that. My own little sister is the same way."

'I guess so?' The girl wasn't making eye contact with Yuu, but she certainly was taking note of the birds that seemed to be drawn towards the other girl's side. Yuu even caught her smiling at them a few times, however thinly. 'Name please?'

"Yuu Hoshikawa." Part of Yuu wondered if she should steal a page from Tsukiko's book and try to sound genuinely nice and friendly. The other part decided that this was pointless, given how unaffected this girl seemed by her usual bluntness. "Call me 'Yuu'. Nice to meet you."

'Irene Asahina' the girl wrote in her notepad. ''Irene' is fine. Nice to meet you too.'

That established, Yuu took off towards the gym building with Irene in tow, her mind spinning with questions and speculation about the other girl all the while.

* * *

Tsukiko realized a few moments into her search that she had been lying, both to herself and to her sister. She did want to figure out where Megumi had gotten off to, but she also really was interested in the myriad clubs around the school. There was nothing stopping her from at least _looking_ , right?

So, Tsukiko wandered around Sorairo's campus, trying to ignore how her heart ached at the sight of how much fun everyone was having. The sports teams were especially painful to watch. She had been scouted by several of them, and although she had shot them all down at Yuu's behest, it still stung a bit.

 _The dreams of being an athlete can be crushed_ Tsukiko told herself as she watched the track and field team, then the archery team (my, that Yuzuki was an excellent shot) and then the softball team hard at work practicing. _The happiness from making a cake or creating a beautiful arrangement will fade away_ , she told herself as she peeked in on the baking club and then the flower arrangement club. _The willpower to improve at an instrument can be daunted_ , she told herself as she watched the orchestra club play for a bit. _And that's why it needs to vanish. Because it's transient. Because transient things are useless. Because Lady Sardonyx said so._

If only she had her sister's sense of conviction!

As Tsukiko idled by the school library, she heard what sounded like Nanami's voice. She felt her breath catch a little as she stepped inside - she didn't know schools had libraries! Just like that Citadel... what a wonderful little discovery, she mused as she took a moment to drink in her surroundings.

There were a small group of girls seated at one of the library desks, Nanami and Amane among their number. The latter was addressing the group

"Anyway, I secured Seizato General's permission for our club to visit, provided we schedule in advance." she said. "The kids are really excited to have us read to them, so let's pick out some good material!"

Moments after Amane spoke, Nanami seemed to sense Tsukiko's approach. "Oh, Tsukiko! Come on in!"

"Oh, were you looking to join?" Amane asked. "I'd love to have you, Tsukiko! We al would!"

Some tiny part of Tsukiko wanted to say 'yes', but the rest of her knew full well that she had no business assenting.

"Oh... I'm sorry, but not today." Tsukiko bowed apologetically. "I was just looking around."

"Of course it is!" Amane was clearly trying to hide her disappointment as she spoke. She wasn't doing the best job of it.

"Alright, then..." Tsukiko said. "Bye-bye, everyone."

"Bye-bye." Nanami waved farewell. "I hope you have fun looking around, Tsukiko."

Fun was the last thing she needed to focus on having, Tsukiko thought as she returned to wandering the halls of Seizato's classroom building. No, she needed to focus on being useful, focus on seeing if she couldn't locate-

-Megumi Aozora, who had nearly crashed into Tsukiko as she rounded a corner. Megumi had a terribly spaced-out look about her, and no wonder, Tsukiko mused as she peeked inside her heart. Her Roaring Spark was shining more brightly than ever.

"Oh, it's Hoshikawa-san." Megumi said. "Do you need help navigating campus? You look a bit lost."

"Oh no, I'm fine." Tsukik tilted her head to the side as she regarded her teacher. "I feel like I should be asking that question. You look troubled, Aozora-sensei. Maybe some coffee would help?"

Megumi blinked in surprise, clearly caught off guard by being asked a question like that by her own student. "It's nothing my students should worry about." she said. "It's... adult matters." She frowned contemplatively. "Coffee is sounding nice right about now."

"That's what I was thinking." Tsukiko said. "Actually, my sister and I were going to head to Shooting Star after Nagisa-san and Shishioh-san's club meetings ended. I heard the owner makes the best cup of coffee in town."

"Oh, Tsubasa?" Megumi's Roaring Spark was shining more intensely as she spoke. "I suppose she does." She moved to leave. "Well, then - see you later, Hoshikawa-san. Maybe we'll run into each other this afternoon?"

"Maybe..." Tsukiko smiled thinly as Megumi walked past her. "I hope you get the AC fixed soon, Aozora-sensei!" she called after her.

Megumi froze mid-step and her Roaring Spark shined just a bit brighter. A malicious smile played on Tsukiko's lips as her teacher departed.

* * *

The fencing hall was abuzz with excitement when Yuu and Irene stepped inside. Numerous girls were chattering excitedly as one girl handily defeated each and every challenger she sparred with, as if she had been born with that sword in her hand. It was Kohaku, Yuu realized. With that build and those moves, it couldn't be anyone but Kohaku. Sorairo's fencing practice had turned into Round Two of Who Can Beat Kohaku Shishioh, and once again, the answer seemed to be 'nobody'.

"Shishioh-san is really cool!" Taeko said as she watched Kohaku's swordplay with shining eyes. "She's got the power of ten girls! I love it!"

"I'll say, I-chi." Robin said. "Shame I forgot my sword at home - I'd love to have a go at her!"

That was Yuu's cue to loudly clear her throat. Robin's attention was immediately drawn towards her.

"Aha! Yuu-chi! _Ciao_!" Robin bounded towards Yuu... only to quickly forget about her once she realized who else was with her. "And Reenie! Didn't expect to see you here! Is everything alright?"

Irene said nothing. She simply handed Robin's sword over before immediately retreatng to Yuu's side. She clearly wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Thank you kindly, Reenie!" Robin flashed her sister a beaming smile. Irene returned it with the faint ghost of one.

Kohaku approached the group, removing her fencing mask and shaking out her dirty blond hair, which was now a bit damp with sweat. "Oh, hey, Yuu." she said. "Were you here to watch?"

"Obviously not." Yuu gestured towards Irene, who was pressed against the fencing hall exit. "Actually, I was about to leave."

"Alright, then." Kohaku tried not to sound at all annoyed at Yuu's behavior. "Will I still be seeing you this afternoon?"

"Of course." Yuu headed towards the fencing hall exit. That was Irene's cue to leave. "I'll catch up with you once I take Irene home."

"Wait!" Robin called after Yuu.

Yuu froze in her tracks. "Hm?"

"Thanks for keeping Reenie company." Robin said. "She doesn't trust most people, so there must be something special about you, Yuu-chi. You're okay in my book." On the last part, she tipped a wink and a bright smile in Yuu's direction.

"I see." Yuu flashed Robin a half-hearted attempt at a smile before she left, ruminating on the implications of the older girl's words.

* * *

Nothing out of the ordinary was happening at Shooting Star. Tsubasa was busy serving a steady stream of customers while Sirius, who had spent the better part of the day hunting for... something or other, napped upstairs. But her mind was still an uncomfortable maelstrom of thoughts, many regarding Megumi.

Megumi, who had been pressuring her about the girls since she had known about them. Megumi, who didn't trust her with anything. Megumi, who thought she was so much better, so much smarter than her, as if she hadn't changed since then. Megumi who... if she tried anything with her charges...

And to top it all off, the man in the snakeskin shirt was seated out the counter again.

"Wait, is this all I get?" he was asking as he stared into his cup of espresso. "Can't I get a full one?"

Tsubasa stared at him, even as she polished a mug with enough agitation to make a few customers fear she was about to break it, judging by the looks they were shooting in her direction. "Um... look, uh-"

"Hisao. Hisao Hoshikawa." He flashed her a peace sign. "Nice to meet you!"

"Charmed." Tsubasa responded. " _Anyway_ , look, Hoshikawa-san, there is a lot caffeine in a full cup of espresso than in a full cup of coffee. Enough to... man, do you care about your blood pressure? Like, at all?"

Hisao responded with a non-committal shrug. That was entirely the wrong answer, judging by Tsubasa's reaction. Not that he cared that much. Just give him his tall espresso.

Thankfully, he was saved from any further protesting by Tsubasa, as Nanami and Kohaku entered Shooting Star, followed close behind by Yuu and Tsukiko.

"Welcome!" As Tsubasa greeted the group, she locked eyes with Yuu. For a moment, Yuu found herself worrying that she recognized her... and then Tsubasa looked away and shook her head in amusement. "Sheesh, I'm meeting some really solemn kids lately."

"That's just how she is." Hisao laughed nonchalantly before waving at the twins. "Yuu, Tsukiko! Good to see you!" Tsukiko returned his greeting with a wave of her own. Yuu shot him a death glare. Hisao didn't seem to care. "Now it's a real party." he said, right before downing his espresso.

"Is that the brother you mentioned, Tsukiko?" Nanami asked.

"That's him, yes." Tsukiko said. "Didn't expect to see you here like this, Hisao."

"That works out marvelously." Tsubasa deadpanned. "Since you two are his little sisters," she informed the twins "maybe you can convince him to give up on the tall espresso." She sighed before adding " _Anyway_... what can I get you kids today?"

The twins looked at one another, then back to the menu, then back to one another. Truth be told, they hardly knew what anything on here was.

Nanami quickly picked up on how horribly lost the sisters looked and sprang to the rescue. "I know!" she said. "How about some lattes? I'm sure Yuu and Tsukiko would love that latte art you can do, Tsubasa. You know, with the animals?"

"That does sound interesting." Tsukiko said.

Yuu looked completely nonplussed but threw in a half-hearted nod at her sister's urging.

"On it!" Tsubasa said. "You two have anything specific you want?"

"A rabbit might be nice?" Tsukiko said.

Yuu shrugged. "I don't care."

"That's a bit uncalled for." Kohaku said. The blank look Yuu replied with almost made her want to stop bothering. "How about a bird?" she suggested. "You remind me of one."

"Sure?" Yuu tried to ignore how her breath had caught temporarily at that one. As Tsubasa went to work on everyone's orders and Kohaku slipped off, muttering something about securing a table for everyone, Nanami and Tsukiko following her lead, she sidled over to Hisao. "Working hard, huh?" she asked, her voice dripping with acid.

"Am I not allowed to take a break?" Hisao snapped in return, drawing a confused glance from Tsubasa. "Aha, it's... you see! I'm unemployed!" he started, putting a nonchalant hand behind his head as he laughed nervously.

"Oh?" Tsubasa said even as she continued working. "Where's that money coming from, Hoshikawa-san?"

"My sisters and I have a benefactor." Hisao ad-libbed easily enough to genuinely impress Yuu, judging by the approving glance she shot in his direction. "Family friend of ours. She gives us enough to get by on, but..." He sighed heavily, his tone growing more somber. "We lost our parents a while ago, and our benefactor's not really a presence in our lives. I'm the only adult my sisters have. Felt like I could just skate by for the longest time, but I mean, these two, they're just kids." He pointedly ignored the glare from Yuu that earned him. "They deserve better than a burned-out freeter for a big bro, yanno? So, I've been job-hunting. Right now, I'm re-fueling before I get back to it."

"Or so he says." That earned Yuu a reproachful glare from Hisao that she also pointedly ignored.

Tsubasa was silent - mostly because she was hard at work on the lattes but also because she seemed to be deep in thought. Finally, she spoke. "I can really respect that, Hoshikawa-san. Good on you."

Hisao blinked in surprise. "You can?" he said. And here he'd been, messily slapping together a halfway convincing backstory on the fly.

"Yeah?" Tsubasa said. "It's hard climbing out of that pit and working to be a better version of yourself, especially if you've spent a long time down there. Trust me, I two hundred percent get it. But... it's doable. So I'll be cheering for you - and offering help if you need it? I know plenty of people around Seizato - surely there are a few that'll take you on, no matter how unskilled you are."

"Oh, thanks." Hisao shot a quick puzzled glance at Yuu, who simply gave him her best 'I don't know - you're on your own' shrug before heading to the table where her sister and the two Cures were seated. "I'd prefer to look on my own, but I'll definitely hit you up for advice if I need it."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Tsubasa said. " _Anyway,_ if you want to refuel properly for your job hunt, you really don't need to be drinking enough caffeine to make yourself sick, Hoshikawa-san. Can I get you… _anything_ else besides a tall espresso?"

"One of those lattes you're making the girls, maybe?" Hisao said after a thoughtful pause. "I'd love one with a snake, if that's cool with you?"

* * *

Tsukiko seemed particularly antsy about something, Nanami mused as she watched the other girl. Every few moments, the younger Hoshikawa twin would anxiously look in the direction of Shooting Star's entrance and as time passed and Yuu joined them at the table, her demeanor seemed to grow even more agitated.

"Is something wrong, Tsukiko?" Nanami asked. "You look a bit stressed out."

"Oh no, I'm fine." Tsukiko internally wondered if Megumi really was going to show up after all. "Perfectly fine."

Right as Tsukiko finished speaking, Tsubasa approached the table, tray in hand. Atop said tray were four lattes in four starry sky-themed mugs for the girls - a dolphin for Nanami, a peacock for Yuu, a lion for Kohaku, and a rabbit for Tsukiko.

Tsubasa presented each girl with her latte. "There we go. Hope you kids enjoy."

"They're lovely as always, Tsubasa." Nanami said. "Thank you."

"How do you always make these look so gorgeous?" Kohaku asked, glancing into her mug… and proceeding to blow on it.

Tsukiko looked genuinely stunned by her drink. "It's so cute!" she said. "You did really well, Aozora-san. It's almost too pretty to drink."

"I guess it looks nice." Yuu said. She spent a moment staring at her latte, as if she didn't know what to do with it, before she realized how everyone else was looking at her, prompting her to sigh heavily and take a sip. The moment she did so, her visible eye widened in surprise. "It… it's good!"

"Glad to hear it." Tsubasa said. "Honestly, reactions like that are half of what makes running this place great." She smiled contentedly, looking around the cafe. "It's hard work managing Shooting Star, you know. Has me ripping my hair out sometimes. But god, it's worth it, meeting the different people who come through Shooting Star and seeing the effect my coffee can have on those people."

As Tsubasa spoke, the four girls looked around the room. There was a wide variety of people in Shooting Star this afternoon - Hisao, who took a moment to fuss over how cute the latte art Tsubasa had created was before drinking his latte, Kei Katsuya, who was busily typing away on her laptop, drinking a cup of coffee all the while, Ayumu Rallis, who was laughing behind his hand as he and a sharp-dressed young man with chocolate brown hair and eyes chatted over cups of tea, two high school girls comforting the third of their number, who was sobbing hard over a breakup, a mother sharing a cup of hot cocoa with her young son…

To Nanami and Kohaku, it was a beautiful mosaic of human experiences, proving that people were the same wherever you went. To the twins, it was a collection of Roaring Sparks laid out in front of their eyes like a miniature galaxy, none of them bright enough to harvest and all of them destined to be snuffed out one day.

"Each person who comes here has a story." Tsubasa said. "They have their own experiences, their own dreams, their own emotional baggage… and sometimes, they've got their own personal hurdles to deal with. And many of them are looking at me to help them."

"So, you give them drinks?" Yuu asked flatly.

"Well, yeah?" Tsubasa replied. "It won't solve anything, but it helps? And for a dumb punk like me, being able to help a little bit feels great."

"What do you mean by that?" Kohaku asked.

Before Tsubasa could give an answer, Shooting Star's front door opened once more. "Oh, welcome!" Her voice lost a tiny bit of enthusiasm once Megumi stepped inside. "Meg? What are you doing here?"

"What, I can't check up on my big sister?" Megumi seated herself at one of the tables near the girls. "Well, my sister and her charges, I suppose." She was trying to sound perfectly blasé. Her slightly rattled tone betrayed the opposite to Nanami and Kohaku, and her increasingly bright Roaring Spark gave her away to the Hoshikawa siblings. "Anyway, the usual, if you please?"

"Of course." Tsubasa was doing a terrible job of sounding blasé herself. "I'm right on it."

"Oh dear…" Tsukiko said. "She sounds a little testy. Is everything okay with your sister, Aozora-sensei?"

Megumi pursed her lips. "I... don't think I should be discussing our personal affairs with my students." Even now, she found her eyes lingering on Nanami and Kohaku, who definitely noticed.

"Is something wrong?" Kohaku asked. "You've been staring at us a lot lately."

"No! No, nothing's wrong!" Megumi said, before looking aside uncomfortably. "I guess I'm a little worried about Tsubasa? It must be a lot of work, just the three of you here."

"Oh no, it's fine." Nanami said. "We have had a few rough patches since she decided to host us, but overall, it's been perfectly-"

Megumi shook her head. "No, I know Tsubasa too well. Something is…" She cut herself off. No matter what, it was not right to involve these kids in it. "I'm a little concerned. She's seemed stressed out lately."

"You sound like Tsukiko." Yuu said. "But that makes sense. It's just like little sisters to worry over their big sisters."

"Meg, I told you, I'm fine." Tsubasa said as she presented Megumi with her coffee. "There's nothing to worry about."

"If you say so." Megumi said. After a sip of coffee, she added "Could I look around later? I'd love to see what you've done with this old place."

"Now's really not the time for that, sorry." Tsubasa said, right before another customer entered, and she hurried to see to them.

Megumi spent the next few moments in awkward silence, keenly watching Tsubasa, who was consulting with Hisao about something or another, in between trying not to look like she was listening in on the girls, who proceeded to chat lightly about clubs and schoolwork. Nanami and Kohaku tried to pretend they weren't worried about Megumi eavesdropping on them, while Yuu and Tsukiko tried to pretend they weren't waiting until Megumi could be dealt with.

Finally, Megumi got up and muttered something about needing to use the washroom. She did not approach said washroom. Rather, she made sure Tsubasa was occupied before slipping upstairs. Neither her older sister nor her charges noticed this… but Hoshikawa siblings certainly did. Not that any of them would have stopped her.

* * *

Megumi was no stranger to spying on Tsubasa, not in the slightest. And she was no stranger to Tsubasa giving her reasons to spy. The weird caginess, the lack of information, the stressed-out behavior, it had to signify _something,_ just as it had last time.

Just like before, Megumi's heart was pumping hard in her chest as she slipped into what was now Tsubasa's bedroom. Just like before, her sister wouldn't take her going through her things well. And just like before, it was likely necessary, because the last time Tsubasa had been acting like this, she had been…

 _"Excuse me? What do you think you're doing, Meg?"_

 _Megumi, then a short-haired high school student, turned slowly from her spot in front of Tsubasa's dresser to find her older sister, her hair bleached blonde and chopped into a ragged bob, and her face a mask of cold fury._

 _"That's my line." Megumi said coolly, producing the accessories and electronics she had found. "I heard rumors of you shoplifting from Hiromi-chan's workplace, but I didn't want to believe it. And yet, here's everything she reported missing. To the letter." She looked around the room, frowning. "Makes me wonder what else in here might be stolen."_

 _Tsubasa stared at Megumi for a moment, her eyes narrowing, before she lunged for what her sister had taken. "Give those back." she hissed._

 _"No." Megumi refused to budge. "These aren't yours to begin with." She returned her sister's angry glare with a defiant stare. "It's not enough that you're getting into fights, it's not enough that you took up that smoking habit. Now you're stealing?"_

 _"This is just like you, Meg." Tsubasa sneered. "Just because you're their spoiled little princess, you think you can just… just waltz in here, go through my things, and… and rub how much better you are in my face!"_

 _"That's not what this is about!" Megumi snapped. "If I leave it at this, Tsubasa, what's next? What comes after shoplifting, once that stops being fun?"_

 _Tsubasa did not respond. Instead, she roughly shoved past her sister and fled, leaving Megumi to listen to the sound of her older sister's footsteps thundering down the stairs and the door slamming behind her._

That time had been painful, but it had been necessary, much like this time was, Megumi told herself as she combed through Tsubasa's room. For the most part, it was wholly unremarkable. Even the metal bat by her bed was an understandable possession for a woman who had lived alone for some time. Yes, it was all very normal for Tsubasa…

...except for the dog sleeping soundly on her bed.

"That's odd." Megumi said quietly. "When did she get a dog?"

At first glance, the white akita slumbering before her looked perfectly normal, maybe even a bit charming, with that neck ribbon of theirs. But that star-shaped marking on their forehead was quite unlike anything she'd seen on any dog before. How strange, Megumi mused as she ran her fingers through their fur.

"Huh? Wha…" Sirius muttered groggily as they briefly stirred, before falling back asleep.

Megumi staggered backwards, nearly slamming into the dresser behind her as she clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream. The dog… the dog just… but the dog couldn't have… but the dog clearly _did_ …

...she had to get out of here before she started screaming. Megumi scrambled out of Tsubasa's bedroom before stumbling into Kohaku's.

Kohaku's bedroom was a no-nonsense affair, between its bed, with orange and yellow bedclothes made neatly enough to bounce a yen coin atop of, and her sparse personal possessions arranged neatly in her room, which sported not even a tiny mote of dust. Indeed, it would almost seem to be perfectly unremarkable…

...outside of the notebook which laid open on her desk and was filled with still more of that strange symbol language, and the sword leaning up against the wall near her bed. At first, Megumi thought it was a convincing fake, but no, closer inspection revealed this was an actual sword.

She took a shuddering breath, feeling her chest tighten as her mind spiraled in confusion and anxiety. Just who were these kids? And just what had Tsubasa been hiding from her?

* * *

"Say," Hisao said as he polished off his latte. "Where'd that sister of yours get off to?"

"Oh, Meg?" Tsubasa said absently, looking over to confirm that yes, Megumi was indeed gone. "I don't know… I don't remember seeing her leave, so she must be in the bathroom." She froze up, as something seemed to occur to her. Something she didn't want to think about, clearly. "Been in there an awfully long time, if that's the case."

"Guess you'd better check on her then." Hisao said. "It'd be a shame if she was sick."

Tsubasa nodded before abandoning her spot behind the counter and heading towards the washroom. "Hey, uh, Meg?" She knocked on the door. "Are you-"

The door to the washroom swung inwards, revealing that it was very much empty.

Tsubasa stared hollowly into the empty washroom before looking in the direction of Nanami's table. "Say… did you kids happen to see Meg leave?"

"I'm afraid I didn't." Nanami said. Kohaku backed her up with a small shake of the head.

"As far as I know, she never left." Yuu said. Tsukiko backed her up with a nod. "How strange."

"I… I see." Tsubasa said. "Nanami, Kohaku - if anyone comes in in, could you tell them to hold up for a second? There's something I need to take care of."

"Of course." Nanami tried not to betray how unsettled she was by the cold furor rolling off Tsubasa in waves as the owner of Shooting Star marched upstairs.

* * *

There weren't any swords in Nanami's room. There was, however, more of that weird handwriting. Intellectually, Megumi knew it wasn't inherently a sign of anything odd - it really could have been a secret code between friends - but right now, her feelings of anxiety were in hyperdrive, and thus, she didn't trust it at all.

The talking dog, the sword, this strange handwriting… and the odd energy the air around her seemed to be buzzing with - what could it all mean? As Megumi puzzled over this, her eyes caught... it appeared to be a normal, if slightly outsize pink and gold music box, but the strange energy seemed to grow more intense the closer Megumi drew to it. And once she attempted to lift its lid-

-she found that it did not budge, no matter how hard she tried to move it. Nanami might as well have superglued it shut. Megumi scowled in frustration as she tried to open it again-

"Excuse me? What do you think you're doing, Meg?"

-and wheeled around to find Tsubasa standing in the doorway. Were Megumi in a better frame of mind, she would have laughed at how history was repeating itself.

"That's my line, Tsubasa." she responded coolly.

Tsubasa simply shook her head. "Meg. Get out of her room. _Now_."

Megumi obliged, but once the two were out into the hallway, she was back to staring defiantly at her older sister. "You're hiding something, Tsubasa. Between all the _weirdness_ up here, that weirdness at school, and you running yourself ragged to cover for them... something's going on here."

Tsubasa said nothing. She didn't need to. Megumi could clearly sense her agitation.

"Tsubasa, what is going on?" Megumi asked. "Who are they really? What are you hiding from me? And why are you lying again?"

"All this time, and you haven't changed, Meg." Tsubasa said quietly. "You still think you have a right to meddle where you don't belong, all because of your damn ego-"

"It's not ego!" Megumi fired back.

"Right." Tsubasa said. "Why can't you accept that when I say I'm fine, I'm fine?"

"Because last time you said that, you were hiding _that_ from me. What are you hiding this time, Tsubasa?"

"Would you _stop_?" Tsubasa snapped. "Meg, I am _trying_. I have been trying to be better for what? Six years now? Sorry that's not good enough for you?" She narrowed her eyes at her sister. "So, what was the purpose of this visit? To prove you still don't trust me? To spy on your own students? Both?"

Megumi looked genuinely shaken, partly because her mind was a mess of anxiety and rattled nerves from everything today and even before that, partly because Tsubasa was right about some of this, and partly because she didn't want to admit that Tsubasa was right. "I… I think it would be best if I left."

"Yeah, I second that." Tsubasa tried to look completely unperturbed as Megumi stormed away from her and down the stairs.

* * *

The moment Hisao had seen Megumi descending the stairs and heading towards Shooting Star's entrance, he had gotten up and left, muttering something about 'resuming that job hunt'. Nanami and Kohaku did not notice - the former was busy greeting customers as they came in and calmly explaining the situation with Tsubasa, and the latter was busy trying to pretend that the job Tsubasa had given her was not making her incredibly anxious.

The twins did notice their brother's departure, and although Yuu knew he likely wouldn't notice the death glare she had shot in his direction she gave him one anyway.

Moments later, Tsubasa descended the stairs. She was doing a poor job of not looking angry.

"Sorry about that." she told the customers that had queued up in front of the counter as she took her place behind it. "And thank you, Nanami, Kohaku." she told her charges. "Anyway, who was here-"

And then a piercing scream cut through the air. It sounded like was coming from outside Shooting Star… and sounded as if it belonged to Megumi.

The color drained from Tsubasa's face as she heard the noise. Before anyone could stop her, she had abandoned her post once more and dashed towards the door.

"I'm sorry!" She offered a hasty, apologetic bow to everyone present. "I'll be right back!"

And then Tsubasa bolted straight out of Shooting Star before anyone present could react.

* * *

There was no sign of any of those weird Void Clan people when Tsubasa shot out of Shooting Star. There was no sign of any giant monsters either.

No, there were simply… a handful of snakes gathering near Megumi, who was a few yards away. They were acting like perfectly normal snakes, outside of the fact that they were congregating in Megumi's presence. And the fact that they existed at all was enough to make Megumi panic. The young Aozora sister was frozen to the spot and on the edge of hyperventilating at present.

"What are you all doing here?!" Megumi demanded. "Go away!" she said as one snake got just a bit too close to her leg for her liking.

"Meg, for god's sake, don't-" Tsubasa rushed to her sister's side, right as Megumi attempted to kick the offending snake away.

" _Excuse me?_ How would you like it if I kicked _you_ in the head?"

Both Aozora sisters turned to find Agate. He looked genuinely offended as he stared down Megumi, whip in hand. Ah, _there_ was the weird Void Clan person.

"Who are you?" Megumi asked, her voice barely above awhisper.

Agate didn't respond at first. He seemed more concerned with making sure that the snakes in the area, who he signaled to leave (and they just… understood that, Tsubasa marveled), got away from Megumi before she could hurt them. Only when they had dispersed did he bother answering that question.

"Agate, member of the Void Triad and servant to Lady Sardonyx." he deadpanned. "And you-" He snapped his fingers, causing a circle of orange runes to appear at Megumi's feet. "I'll be taking that Roaring Spark of yours."

"Like hell you will!"

Tsubasa didn't spare any time to think about what she was doing as she sprang towards Agate. She didn't care that she didn't have powers and he did. She didn't care that she was putting herself at risk of injury. All that mattered was that her little sister was about to endure the same pain she could not permit that.

Agate immediately aimed a right hook at Tsubasa. She unflinchingly caught his fist in her hands before flipping him over her shoulder and onto the ground as if he weighed nothing at all. Agate was left lying flat on his back. Before he could recover, Tsubasa slammed one sneaker-clad foot onto his chest, drawing a sharp hiss of pain from him.

"I don't care who you are or why you're doing this." Tsubasa was using the same unnervingly calm cadence that Megumi recognized from her older sister's delinquent days. "You do _not_ mess with my little sister." As she unflinchingly stared down Agate, she added "Meg, please run."

"I can't!" Megumi said. Indeed, try as she might, she couldn't leave the circle of runes at her feet. "Tsubasa, please don't do this! Just go!"

Tsubasa did not budge. "I'm not abandoning my little sister."

Agate stared up at Tsubasa with dull bronze eyes. A shame, really, that it had to be like this. She was an interesting woman to talk to, even if she was a bit terrifying. And it seemed they felt similarly about their little sisters. But… he had no choice . Anything else was in violation of Sardonyx's will.

Agate slammed a hand glowing with dark orange energy onto the ground. The resulting small shockwave unbalanced Tsubasa, allowing him to escape from her hold and get back on his feet. She quickly recovered and sprang after him with the fury of a wild animal. Had Agate been a second slower, she would have taken him down again. As it was, he narrowly nailed her with a swift punch, knocking her away a few yards and leaving her to collapse in pain.

"Tsubasa!" Megumi screamed. " _Why?_ " she demanded as Agate advanced on her. "Why are you…"

"It's nothing personal." Agate stared hollowly at Megumi as he prepared to take her Roaring Spark, trying to ignore the dull ache in his chest. "Just what this guy is made to do." He extended his right hand towards Megumi. "Roaring Spark!" he cried as the gem on the back of his hand glowed, and Megumi cried out in pain at the sensation of her Roaring Spark about to be ripped from her chest. "Come... forth!"

* * *

Nanami and Kohaku had wasted no time in trying to follow Tsubasa out of Shooting Star the very second the cafe owner had left. Given everything they had been through so far, they could not discount the possibility of Void Clan activity, and thus, they had to follow the woman who had declared herself their big sister, lest she hurt herself. But-

"You're just going to run away?" Yuu asked, as she and her sister got between the Cures and the entrance of Shooting Star. "After she told you to look after them?" Here, she gestured to the throng of customers, many of whom looked… more than a bit annoyed right now.

"That woman…" Tsukiko said. "She's looking after you two right now, right? So, shouldn't you respect her wishes and stay here?"

Nanami bit her lip, looking towards the agitated throng of customers, then to the twins, and then to Kohaku, who looked terribly stressed out now. "I…" Deep breaths. "Listen, Yuu, Tsukiko - it does seem irresponsible of us, yes, but believe us, we have no choice but to leave."

"We're going." Kohaku gently pushed past the twins before leading Nanami past the sisters as well. "That's final."

"Why?" Yuu demanded. "Nagisa-san, this isn't like you!"

"And Shishioh-san… this isn't right." Tsukiko said. "It's inconsiderate, don't you think?"

Kohaku simply shook her head. "Listen, you two... we need to protect our big sister."

"That's right." Nanami said. "I'm sure if you were in our situation, you'd do the same thing. I would like to think any good sibling would do the same."

And then the two Cures were gone, leaving Yuu and Tsukiko to stare after them, the former trembling with cold rage. First Agate went and stole her quarry from her, then these two just up and… if they just knew who they were speaking to so _condescendingly-_

"If they're keeping the Orgel here... perhaps we could at least-" Yuu said under her breath.

" _No_." Tsukiko said quietly, giving her sister's hand a firm squeeze. "Not after last time. We wait it out." As she waited for the Utsuroid to be summoned and all these people to finally pass out, she added, more to herself than to Yuu "I want to protect my big sister too."

* * *

Nanami and Kohaku arrived on the scene just a few moments too late to do anything for Megumi, who had already been engulfed in that familiar sphere of dark energy, let alone...

"Tsubasa!" Nanami cried in horror at the sight of the cafe owner lying prone nearby. She seemed to be breathing, and she didn't look hurt, but...

"Why?" Kohaku demanded, wheeling on Agate, who was standing near the developing Utsuroid, an unreadable expression on his face. "There was no need to get her involved!"

"Hey, she started it." Agate shrugged nonchalantly. "And I did hold back. This guy is not a guy who hurts bystanders." He smiled thinly as the dark energy surrounding Megumi dissipated. "And since you two _aren't_ bystanders..."

The newly-formed Utsuroid standing before Nanami and Kohaku was a hulking black figure with empty gold eyes and brown hair worn in a short bob. It wore a princess ballgown with dark orange gem inset into the collar area, a tiara, and the same blazer Megumi wore during her day job and wielded an immense mockery of the same pointer stick she used as a teacher.

As negative energy began to emit from the newly-formed Utsuroid, it began to emit from the prone Tsubasa as well - along with every customer at Shooting Star, save for the twins, who watched impassively as everyone else around them collapsed.

Nanami and Kohaku needed no further prompting on what to do next. Both girls nodded at one another before readying their Roaring Compacts.

"Medal, set! Pretty Cure, Roaring Rebirth!"

"Guardian of the ocean that blooms with life! Blossom Knight, Cure Delphinus!"

"Guardian of the wind that sweeps through the plains! Tempest Knight, Cure Leo!"

"The two of us are Pretty Cure!" Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo chorused.

"Those who cruelly meddle with the hearts of others-" Cure Leo said, pointing a finger at Agate.

"We'll put a stop to your actions at once!" Cure Delphinus said, following suit.

The very second the two Cures finished their speech, they were met with the Utsuroid charging towards them. As it charged, it thrust out its pointer stick, leading a stream of test papers with high marks to fire forth from it like razor-sharp discuses. Both Cures wasted no time in jumping out of the way, leaving the projectiles to embed themselves into the ground, only for the Utsuroid to round on them once more and fire in the direction of-

-Shooting Star. If the Cures didn't intercept the incoming salvo, there was a good chance that everyone within could risk being injured.

Leo wasted no time in positioning herself between Shooting Star and the incoming barrage. As the salvo of razor-sharp paper hurtled towards her, she gritted her teeth and thrust her palms out, focusing on the need for a shield. Her hands flashed orange, and a barrier of sparkling lightning formed in front of her, deflecting the hail of projectiles.

That wasn't going to be enough, as Leo's barrier quickly began to flicker under the punishment it was enduring. And then Delphinus grabbed onto her arm and thrust her free hand outward, creating a barrier of pink mist in front of Leo's own shield. The pink Cure made a small noise of exertion as she focused on maintaining it. It wasn't quite as good at eating damage as the orange Cure's shield was, but it let the two hold out just enough until the salvo had ended.

"There we are!" Delphinus said as her shield and Leo's broke apart. "We can protect them together!"

Both Cures nodded at one another before dashing away from Shooting Star. The Utsuroid, which was surprisingly graceful in its heavy ballgown, gave pursuit, thrusting its pointer stick at the duo like a sword. As Delphinus played keep-away, firing blasts of water from a distance and doing her best to shoot any more paper projectiles out of the air, Leo attempted to break through its guard with a flurry of punches and kicks. Once Leo broke through, she targeted the gem on the Utsuroid's collarbone with a leaping slash, only for the Utsuroid to parry with its free hand. Leo was knocked backwards-

-and towards Agate, who had been watching the proceedings with a mixture of detachment and boredom right until now. The second Leo came hurtling towards him, he snapped to attention and flung the orange Cure aside like a ragdoll, leaving her to crash right into Delphinus.

"What is my sister hiding?" the Utsuroid shouted as it advanced on the two Cures. "What is she lying about this time?!"

"Aozora-sensei..." Delphinus said quietly as she helped Leo to her feet.

"I'm supposed to be the good one! I'm supposed to be the responsible one! It's my job to keep her out of trouble!" the Utsuroid yelled as it flailed in agitation. "How can I do that when she doesn't trust me? How can I do that if she's keeping me out of things?"

"Meg..." Tsubasa muttered, an anguished expression surfacing on her face as her sister's words reached her through her haze of unconsciousness.

"What if she gets herself hurt again?!" the Utsuroid shouted. "What if I end up losing her? I can't... I can't... I'm not allowed to do nothing!"

On the last part, it gave a scream of anguish before thrusting its pointer stick towards the Cures, who were more than ready to engage with it.

"So that's what this is about." Delphinus said as she went running in one direction, leaving the Utsuroid to fire off a barrage of razor-sharp paper towards her. The projectiles the pink Cure could not destroy with her powers cut roughly into the ground around her, kicking up small showers of dirt and grass. "All this time, you were just trying to protect your big sister." The light in her eyes faltered on that last part, if only for a moment.

"Delphinus..." Leo shot a look of concern at her partner.

Leo ran in the opposite direction from Delphinus in order to draw the Utsuroid's attention towards her. It worked - the Utsuroid immediately went for her instead. However, Leo had opened herself up to another attack from Agate, who attempted to hit Leo with his whip... only for the orange Cure to expertly block the blow with one of her energy swords before nailing him in the ribs with an electricity-charged backhand. The resulting impact sent Agate skidding backwards, tearing a deep gouge through the ground.

" _Oof_..." Agate muttered, gritting his teeth in pain as he worked to re-steady himself on his feet. "First her, now you, Miss Knight. This is _really_ not this guy's day, huh?"

"The heart of a worrying little sister... I won't allow anyone to take advantage of it!" Delphinus said as she continued to work to wear down the Utsuroid, who was rapidly becoming disoriented trying to deal with the two Cures attacking it from both sides.

"That's right!" Leo said as she took advantage of the Utsuroid's increasing disorientation to land a salvo of blows on its form. "We'll fight to protect you, Aozora-sensei, just as we're fighting to protect Tsubasa and the others!"

"For their sake... we will not give up!" Delphinus said as she fired a high-pressure ball of water towards the gem on the now thoroughly disoriented and injured Utsuroid.

The Utsuroid was too worn-down and too preoccupied with fending off the pressure Leo was putting on it to intercept Delphinus' attack before it could make contact and crack its gem down the middle, causing the Utsuroid to stagger backwards before hitting the ground. The moment it did so, Delphinus and Leo nodded before joining their hands and readying their finisher.

"Oh water, cascade and flow!" Delphinus cried.

"Oh lightning, sparkle and dance!" Leo cried. "Our radiantly roaring hearts-" she said, extending her free hand outwards as orange lightning energy flowed into her opened palm.

"-shall become the light that pierces the void!" Delphinus said, extending her own free hand outwards as pink water energy flowed into her own opened palm.

"Pretty Cure! Roaring Hurricane!" Delphinus and Leo chorused as their combined finisher fired towards the Utsuroid, cutting a wild path through the ground in the process. Multicolored light enveloped the Utsuroid as the gem on its collar bone shattered.

"So warm…" the Utsuroid said, as it gave off multicolored energy, which flowed towards Delphinus and Leo's Roaring Compacts, before its form resolved into that of an unconscious Megumi, whose Roaring Spark sunk back into her chest as she was deposited on the ground.

"The heart of a worrying little sister, huh." Agate muttered as he clutches his side in pain. He'd heal quickly, thankfully, and this was nothing compared to what Tourmaline had endured, but man, between Tsubasa and Leo, he was going to smart for a bit. "This guy's more worried about older sisters, honestly..."

And then he was gone in a flash of dark orange light, leaving a burst of kicked-up dirt in his wake.

* * *

When Megumi came to, she felt the smell of ocean air wafting into her nose. As her eyes slowly fluttered open, she found herself looking into the concerned eyes of her sister, who was accompanied by Nanami, Kohaku, and... that dog from earlier.

"Oh god..." she muttered as she pulled herself into a sitting position and verified, partly in reaction to the memories of everything that had happened prior to her waking up like this and partly in reaction to Sirius's presence. "Is... is he gone?"

Part of Nanami wanted to play at being clueless as to what Megumi was talking about... but as Amane had proven earlier today, it was likely that any lies about what had happened would catch up with her and Kohaku. Besides, hadn't Megumi ended up becoming a target because she suspected she was being lied to?

"He's gone, yes." Nanami said. "Don't worry about it, Aozora-sensei." Then, to Tsubasa "Is it alright if I tell her?"

Tsubasa sighed heavily. "I guess it'd be for the best, all things considered."

"Then I'll take it from here, yes, yes." Sirius said as they yawned and stretched. "It would..." They paused, tilting their head as they took in Megumi's baffled reaction. "Is something wrong?"

"The... the dog really was talking..." Megumi said incredulously.

"That they were, that they were." Sirius seemed completely unmoved by Megumi's unease. "You see-"

And Sirius launched into the best abridged explanation they could, Nanami and Kohaku occasionally jumping in to elaborate on things. It was a bit easier to get through this time, since it wasn't so fresh in their memory this time around. But even then, they didn't feel like they were any more successful in explaining things to the younger Aozora sister than they had been with the elder one.

Indeed, Megumi looked every bit as lost as Tsubasa had once Sirius finished their explanation. "I... don't understand any of this, sorry."

"How do you think _I_ felt?" Tsubasa asked. "Hell, I still don't get it, not really." Doesn't mean it's not happening, though."

"It's hard to argue that point after everything I saw today." Megumi got up, dusted herself off... and dropped into a bow of apology. "Tsubasa... I'm so sorry. Had I known you had gotten caught up in something like this-"

Tsubasa shook her head. "It's fine. I didn't want you meddling and getting yourself hurt, Meg." She laughed dryly. "Fat lot of good that did, huh? Besides... I'm really not the one who deserves an apology from you."

"You're correct." Megumi dropped into yet another apologetic bow, this time directed at Nanami and Kohaku. "You two... I apologize sincerely for my actions. I was so worried about my sister and so convinced I was right that I went poking my nose into your personal affairs without thinking."

"Please don't do it again." Kohaku wasn't mad at Megumi _per se_ (just thoroughly unimpressed, really), but it felt terribly odd, saying this to her teacher.

"I'm not angry at you, Aozora-sensei." Nanami said. "But... Kohaku is right. It doesn't become anyone - _especially_ a teacher to do such things."

"It... really doesn't." Megumi clearly felt as awkward about getting lectured by her students as Kohaku felt telling her off. "Then... you two, if there is anything I can do to help you or Tsubasa in the future, name it. If you really _are_ fighting to save your homeland, I owe that to you. Especially after what I did."

"You could start by helping me check on everyone else?" Tsubasa said as she led the others towards Shooting Star, Megumi leaning on her for support. "Knowing how these things go, I'm sure it's a damn mess in there. Plus, you kind of owe me after all this."

As Tsubasa and the others disappeared into Shooting Star, chatting amiably amongst themselves all the way, Yuu and Tsukiko impassively regarded them from a distance. The wind gently rusting the twins' hair as they watched their rivals and their allies until they had disappeared from view.

"The love between sisters... it really is something." Tsukiko said. "Even after everything, they can make up so easily."

"It _is_ quite remarkable, Selenite." Yuu replied. "But..."

"...it will disappear too, won't it, Tourmaline?" Tsukiko asked.

"That's right." Yuu said as she turned and left, leaving her sister to follow her. "There will be no emotion in Lady Sardonyx's ideal world Even the love we share will vanish. But that is fine. That's how it's meant to be."

"Of course." Tsukiko said as she obediently followed after Yuu. "It's fine like this."

Some part of her didn't think it was fine it at all. But that part of her didn't merit listening to. Older sisters knew best, after all.


	8. Episode Eight

**Episode Eight** : It's a Roaring Royal Reunion!

* * *

Sirius had quickly tired of simply hanging back at Shooting Star while Nanami and Kohaku were off at school. Pretending to be a normal dog in front of customers was perfectly fine in short bursts, but it quickly became awkward. Staying upstairs reading and keeping everyone's living spaces tidied was all well and good, but there was only so much cleaning one could do, and the selection of books at Shooting Star was so limited compared to what they were used to back at the royal library.

Really, Sirius tried not to be fussed about much, but they sometimes missed being able to walk around in their true form without attracting so much as a sidelong glance, because a Celestial Beast roaming about in Illuster was about as remarkable as sand on a beach.

Speaking of sand on beaches, that was where they had ended up at present - one of the beaches off uptown Seizato. Sirius took a moment to make sure their ears and tail were still properly hidden under their hat and coat before they resumed their search for the Soaring Medallion and the Lunar Medallion.

Unfortunately, location either Medallion was proving… trying. Sirius could hardly feel their presence. Given how small said Medallions were, trying to pin them down by sight alone was going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack. A very large haystack. The frustration of it all was enough to make Sirius want to scream-

-and so, they did, throwing back their head and letting out a noise that was something between a human yell and a dog's how of anguish, a noise that was mostly mufled by the crash of the ocean against the seashore.

That done, Sirius coughed discreetly into their hand, and went on their way… or at least they would have, had something in the distance not caught their eye. Something that looked suspiciously like a body lying near the shoreline.

Sirius immediately sprinted in the direction of the body, mentally praying for the worst not to have happened all the while. The closer they got, the more familiar the other figure looked, and once they had arrived at their side, they realized there was a reason for that.

"Lady Celes!"

Indeed, the figure - not a corpse, thank the heavens, as evidenced by the ragged rising and falling of her chest - was Princess Celes of Illuster. She was holding Vulpecula close to her chest, and her grip on the doll did not falter, even as Sirius scooped her up in their arms and attempted to rouse her.

"Can you hear me? Lady Celes?"

Celes did not so much as stir, and Sirius' successive attempts to wake her were similarly ineffective. She felt terribly feverish as well. Both things were quite troubling. But… she was _here_. She was alive and safe on Earth. That was what mattered most.

Sirius started off back towards Shooting Star, holding the younger princess of Illuster close to their chest. Contacting Nanami and Kohaku posthaste was essential, of course, but for now, they needed to get Celes a safe place to rest and recover.

* * *

Nanami and Kohaku had ended up heading to the Yamaguchi household that afternoon for yet another study session. Unlike their last few study sessions together, it wasn't just the three of them - the twins had also decided to tag along.

"Study session?" Yuu had asked, once she had been informed where their rivals were off to after school this time. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, it's nothing big." Amane said. "Since Nanami and Kohaku are new to this country, I figured I owed it to myself to help tutor them. We've been getting together at my house every week since! Uh, speaking of, Kohaku, did you-?"

"But of course." Kohaku produced a few paper bags from her schoolbag. "I made sure to make an extra-large batch of those sugar cookies you and Nanami loved so much."

"And I made sure to taste-test one." Nanami said. "They're even better than the last batch! As expected from Kohaku."

Kohaku felt a bit of heat rise to her face at the compliment. Were Nanami not so kind and generous to everyone, she'd suspect her princess did this on purpose.

"Thanks! You're the best, Kohaku!" Amane chirped, prompting the taller girl to nervously look to the side, before she turned her attentions back to the twins. "Um, anyway! You two are free to come with us if you want? There's plenty of space at the table and study snacks to go around!" She faltered slightly, casting a nervous glance at Yuu. "If you want, I mean."

Both twins looked at one another before nodding in unison. They didn't have anything pressing to deal with, since none of the Roaring Sparks on campus had looked promising, and anything that could further ingratiate themselves to Pretty Cure was worth taking advantage of.

"Sure, why not?" Yuu said.

"It sounds fun." Tsukiko said. "And Yuu and I do need to familiarize ourselves with how you do things here."

That had been all the encouragement Amane had needed. The moment the group had arrived at the mostly-vacant Yamaguchi household, Amane wasted no time in making sure the twins had somewhere to sit and were perfectly comfortable. Once that was taken care of, it was time for everyone to set to work studying their materials - and enjoy the cookies that Kohaku had made.

Well, most of the group was doing this. Yuu was only participating half-heartedly. Tsukiko knew full well why. This was pointless, save as a means of getting closer to Pretty Cure, and her sister did not share her ability to feign motivation in the face of such pointlessness.

"Yuu, is everything alright?" Nanami cast a concerned glance at the elder Hoshikawa twin, who was half-heartedly nibbling a cookie. "You look a bit ill."

"I'm fine." Yuu said coolly. "I'm just having trouble caring about any of this."

"Well, we _have_ been at this for a while - it's natural for your focus to wander." Amane was clearly trying to take Yuu's cold bluntness in the best possible manner. "Let's take a break, everyone!"

Amane shot a friendly smile at Yuu. Yuu did not reciprocate. Amane sheepishly averted her eyes as she scrambled to tidy up the living room.

"There's no need to be like that, Yuu." Kohaku said as she idly pulled out her phone, which sported a glittering orange case and a lion phone strap charm, from her school bag and checked the time.

"Oh my gosh!" Amane said the moment she spotted Kohaku's phone. "How cute!" Then, to Nanami "So you guys have phones now?"

"That's right." Nanami pulled out her own phone, which sported a glittering pink case and a dolphin phone strap charm. "It took a while to get things arranged, but we finally have them."

Nanami would not tell Amane the full circumstances behind their acquisition of the phones - she felt a bit bad about that, but Yuzuki had outright asked her not to tell.

Yuzuki had shown up at Shooting Star the other evening, right before closing, and presented Tsubasa more than enough yen to cover new cell phones and still have some left to spare. She had been insistent on Tsubasa accepting all the money and equally insistent on Nanami and Kohaku not telling. The Cures had no intention of exploiting her generosity, but that didn't mean others wouldn't.

"I'm so glad!" Amane said. "Now it'll be a snap to arrange things with you guys! Let's exchange phone numbers!" As the Cures moved to do just that with Amane, she glanced towards the twins. "What about you two? I'd love to have your contact information as well!"

"Can't." Yuu said bluntly before returning to absently paging through her textbook.

"Sorry… Yuu isn't comfortable giving out that information to just anyone." Tsukiko said. "And since she's not, I'm not either."

"What do you mean by that?" Kohaku asked Tsukiko, as a visibly crestfallen Amane moved into the kitchen to clean up everyone's dishes.

"Well, since she's my older sister..." Tsukiko started.

"Right, your sister." Kohaku said. "Not your master, not your boss, not your mother. You don't have to go along with everything she says."

"You're an only child, aren't you?" Yuu asked. "I don't expect _you_ to understand." Then, to Nanami " _You_ would know - older sisters know best, don't they?"

Nanami frowned. "I guess I do have more wisdom than my little sister? But honestly, there are things she knows more about than I do. There are things that she can do well, and there are things that I can do well. We're not twins either, so our situations aren't really comparable."

"That is true…" Tsukiko said. "There are only five minutes between Yuu and I…" she began, before catching the look that Yuu was shooting her and promptly changing her tone " _but_ those five minutes _do_ make a difference..." Did they? Did they really? "I'm still the younger sister."

"I suppose." Nanami said. "But that doesn't mean you owe her unconditional deference." Then, to Yuu "Not that I'm saying you're the type to demand such things."

"Of course I'm not." Yuu responded. Why would she be? She and Tsukiko were always on the same page, so Yuu never had to demand _anything._

Before any more conversation could take place, Nanami and Kohaku's phones began to vibrate in unison. Both had been sent a text message - and judging by the tense expression on their faces as they immediately moved to put their things away there was some heavy news contained within said message.

"Nanami, Kohaku?" Amane peered around the kitchen doorway as her friends grabbed their school bags and put their shoes back on. "Where are you going?"

"I'm sorry, but we need to get back to Shooting Star." Nanami bowed apologetically to Amane and the twins. "Something urgent came up."

"Tsubasa didn't say what kind of urgent matter, but it wouldn't be right to leave her hanging." Kohaku said. "Thank you for having us, Amane. It was fun getting to study with you again."

"Wait!" Amane called after the Cures before they could leave, prompting them to hesitate. "We don't have to cut this off now, do we?"

"That's right." Tsukiko and Yuu moved to replace their things in their school bags. "Can't we just move our study session to Shooting Star? Another one of those lattes would go great with Shishioh-san's cookies."

"I guess it would." Yuu said absently as she joined her sister and Amane in watching the Cures for their reaction.

Nanami nodded hesitantly. "Well… alright. But if it's something major, I reserve the right to end our study session for the day. I don't need to get you mixed up in our personal affairs."

The mention of 'personal affairs' drew a small, knowing smile from the twins. It went unnoticed by the rest of the group.

"That sounds acceptable." Amane said. "Then… let's go, everyone! To Shooting Star!"

With that decided, the five girls set off towards Shooting Star, Nanami and Kohaku trying to ignore how hard their hearts were pounding in their chests and the twins trying their best to suppress the strange feeling of malaise that was brewing inside their own hearts.

* * *

Tsubasa looked rather on-edge when Nanami and the others arrived at Shooting Star. The cafe owner, who was currently busy preparing an order for another customer, did a small double-take at the presence of the twins and Amane, before managing a slightly strained-sounding

"Oh… hello, everyone." Then, to Nanami and Kohaku specifically. "Upstairs, in my bedroom. You'll see what I mean when you get there."

Neither Cure liked how cryptic that one sounded. Nevertheless, they moved to head upstairs. As Amane headed towards one of the tables, the twins walked past her without a passing glance, clearly intending to follow Nanami and Kohaku.

"Huh? Where are you two going?" Amane called after the twins. "It doesn't sound like the kind of thing we should just be sticking their noses into."

Yuu simply shot an impassive glance in Amane's direction before approaching Nanami. "Nagisa-san, it's okay if we follow you upstairs, isn't it?"

"I'd like to see your bedrooms anyway." Tsukiko said. "If that's okay?"

"Sure… it's fine." Nanami tried not to sound as nervous as she felt. "Just please - everyone - if it's something major-"

"We understand." the twins chorused before they and Amane, after a few moments of hand-wringing on the latter's end, followed the two upstairs.

* * *

The question of just what Tsubasa was alluding to was answered once Nanami opened the door to her bedroom. The second Nanami saw the small figure lying propped up in Tsubasa's bed, who was breathing raggedly as Sirius laid curled up near her in dog form, her school bag slipped from her grip and hit the floor, and she all but launched herself into the room and towards said figure's side.

"It's… it can't be…" Nanami sputtered as she took in the sight of her little sister. Even as she spoke, she was removing her glasses, setting them on the bedside table just as the waterworks hit. "It's really… Kohaku, she's really…!" Whatever she was going to say next turned into relieved sobbing as she sank down onto her knees.

Kohaku could not share Nanami's reaction. The moment she saw Celes, the worries that had plagued her since the first day of school flared up all over again. Nevertheless, she wasted no time in heading to her partner's side, kneeling next to her, and taking her hand in her own. Even as Nanami continued to sob, Kohaku gently intertwined her fingers with Nanami's, which did calm her somewhat.

"Oh dear…" Amane began to edge towards the bedroom entrance. "Maybe I should-" Before she could finish that sentence, her attention was drawn towards the twins, who were staring fixedly at the scene unfolding before them. "Are you two okay?"

Yuu barely registered Amane's words. She could barely concentrate on any of the inane babble that girl had to offer, not when another member of that kingdom was in front of her. Someone she and her siblings had seen dragged away by Utsuroids. Someone who should have been a lifeless being like its other residents.

As the twins continued to stare at Celes, they felt a sudden surge of heat in the backs of their hands, where their crystals were located. Yuu bore the pain with little more than the twitch of a lip, but Tsukiko winced and let out a sharp gasp once it hit.

Amane flew to Tsukiko's side. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah… I'm fine." Tsukiko flexed her aching hand as she tried her best to smile through the pain. "Just a little writing cramp, that's all."

Sardonyx's gift… the same gift that had been used to bring them back… it was coming off this girl in waves and resonating with their crystals. But why would Sardonyx bother to-?

"Who is this?" Yuu demanded, her voice sounding oddly distant to her own ears. When Nanami didn't respond, she loudly cleared her throat. "Nagisa-san?"

"Her little sister." Kohaku said, once she got the unspoken go-ahead from Nanami, who was in no condition to respond. "I guess she dropped in for a surprise visit."

"Is that so…" Yuu's form tensed up ever-so-slightly as she spoke.

Yuu sounded emotionless, but Tsukiko knew better. Her sister was _furious._ She would say that Yuu had her feelings hurt by Sardonyx hiding another large matter from her, but Yuu would, of course, deny that she had feelings to hurt in the first place.

"Look." said Kohaku. "I hate to do this, but can you guys leave us alone for a bit? This isn't the best time for a study session."

"Oh… sure!" Amane hastily backed out of the room. As she and the twins departed, she added "Maybe we could study together downstairs then? There's some delicious cookies and hot drinks with our names written on them!"

"I don't think so." Yuu said as she swept past Amane. "There's something we need to do."

"Sorry…" Tsukiko bowed apologetically to Amane before following Yuu. "Maybe next time?" She made it a few more paces before she stopped in her tracks and took a deep breath. "By the way… I'd like to join the library committee. If that's alright?"

Yuu shot a sharp _'why are you doing this'_ glance in Tsukiko's direction. Tsukiko chose to ignore it. She had her reasons for saying this, and besides, the two of them had far bigger matters to address, didn't they?

"Of course!" Amane squeaked. "Thank you, Tsukiko!"

"You're welcome!" Tsukiko flashed Amane a bright smile before hurrying to catch up with the even tenser-looking Yuu. And then, the two sisters were gone

Amane sighed quietly as she descended the stairs, took her place at one of the tables, and got out her textbook and some leftover cookies. She spent the next while studying on her own in between nibbling on cookies, enjoying the cup of hot cocoa she had ordered, and waiting patiently for Nanami and Kohaku to descend the stairs.

They did not show themselves again the entire time she was there. Amane was left to return home on her lonesome. Naturally, she had questions, but they didn't merit asking. Whether those two were Pretty Cure or not, someone like her had no business meddling in the affairs of people like them.

* * *

Celes' eyes slowly flickered open as an unfamiliar room came into focus around her. Said room was horribly plain compared to what she was used to, and the bed she had been placed in was not even a fraction as comfortable as her own. If her body hadn't felt so leaden, she would have eagerly protested such shabby quarters.

At least there was someone recognizable to ground her at present. Three someones, to be exact - Sirius, who was standing near her bedside, Kohaku, who was leaning against a wall and regarding her coolly, and Nanami, who was kneeling besides her.

"Welcome back, Celes." Nanami was gently dabbing a cool rag onto her forehead. "How are you feeling?"

Celes needed a moment to answer, given how feverish and tired she felt. "Nerissa?" she asked, her voice hoarse. "You're dressed funny."

"I suppose I am." Nanami replied. "My usual attire would stick out terribly in this world. The owner of this residence bought Kohaku and I a new wardrobe to help us better integrate."

"Oh…" Celes said distantly. "Then we really are… just like Mother said. The world where the Rainbow Melody was born." She frowned. "But what do you mean by 'Kohaku'? Isn't that Amber over there?"

"We had to assume new names as well." Kohaku explained. "In this world, I'm known as Kohaku Shishioh, and Nerissa is known as Nanami Nagisa. I'm sure Tsubasa can come up with a good name for you too, Celes."

"As for me, I'm… still Sirius, yes, yes." Sirius interjected. "I can't pass as hauman all that well, so I've been posing as a normal dog most of the time."

Celes shot an ice-cold glance at Kohaku. " _Lady_ Nanami and _Lady_ Celes, you mean. Have you forgotten yourself, _Amber?_ A servant has no business speaking so casually to her princesses." She sniffed disdainfully. "I thought Captain Alexandria raised you better than that."

"I'm sorry!" Kohaku flinched backwards, feeling herself temporarily slip back into her programming in the face of Celes' offense. "I simply… I intended no offense, I-"

"Celes!" Nanami snapped reproachfully. "Please don't bring up Kohaku's mother again. Or speak to her like that. Our status means nothing here, so it's wholly unneeded." She shot a reassuring glance towards Kohaku, who was still visibly shaken. "Besides, friends don't have to worry about formalities."

Sirius immediately cut in before Celes could protest her sister's words. "Can you remember anything about how you got here, Lady Celes?"

"I don't remember too much." Celes said. "I woke up in one of the corridors of the Celestial Citadel. Everying was so cold and lifeless. There were people lying everywhere, but they were all…"

The memories of Nanami's recurring nightmare came back to her. "Like dolls, right?"

"Yeah…" Celes held Vulpecula tighter to her chest as she spoke. "I kept calling out for someone _,_ but nobody came. Everyone was... even Mother... I was so scared!" She began to shake a little, prompting Nanami to hold her close. "I… I remembered… basement, so I…" She broke down sobbing. "Nerissa, I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Celes." Nanami gently stroked Celes' hair as her sister sobbed against her chest. "But it's alright. I'm here now. We can be a family again."

Nanami's words only made Celes sob harder. The small girl's form shook all over as she clung tightly onto her sister for dear life, her tears soaking the front of Nanami's school uniform. Her sobbing grew louder and more hysterical until it suddenly faded into nothing, as her form abruptly relaxed.

"Celes?" Nanami grew panicked at her sister's silence. "Celes, please don't-"

"She's sleeping, Lady Nanami." Sirius said gently.

Indeed, Celes had ended up crying hard enough to send her plunging right back into slumber. Nanami nodded hesitantly before situating her little sister in Tsubasa's bed, adjusting Vulpecula besides her, and planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. At least the young girl was breathing a bit more easily this time around.

"I'll be out in a bit." Nanami said as Kohaku and Sirius moved to leave, clearly wishing for Celes to get some rest. "Let me stay with her a little longer."

Sirius wasted no time in leaving, but Kohaku hesitated by the doorway, taking in the sight of Nanami and Celes for some time before she too left. It was nothing, of course. Absolutely nothing. She had no business entertaining such awful notions about a scared young girl, regardless of her behavior, but…

"Hey, Sirius?" Kohaku asked as she caught up with the librarian. "Can we talk?"

* * *

Tourmaline hit the ground running the moment the twins returned to base, shoving past Selenite before her sister could say anything. She heard Selenite protesting this in the distance. She didn't care. She didn't want to be around her twin after she had disrespected her like that. She didn't want to bother with anyone that wasn't Sardonyx. All that mattered was getting answers from her.

Tourmaline tore through the Celestial Citadel like a girl pursued, nearly stepping on several lifeless bodies as she bolted towards the audience chamber and burst inside-

\- to find it empty. Tourmaline stared blankly at the vacant throne before her before it finally sank in that Sardonyx was not present. She needed to go elsewhere. Where, Tourmaline didn't know, but surely, Sardonyx couldn't have gone too far.

Tourmaline continued her search, occasionally calling for Sardonyx as she weaved in and out of multiple halls and rooms in the Citadel. At one point, she almost tripped over Agate, who was sleeping on a couch in one of the halls in a position that was certain to give him a nasty stiff back and neck once he woke up. As she went along, she called out for Sardonyx, only to be met by her own voice echoing off the walls. Still, she continued searching-

-until finally, she found herself in the flower gardens towards the back of the castle. Sardonyx stood near one of the many sizable and elaborate-looking rose lattices that adorned said garden. She unflinchingly picked a faded, frozen-looking rose, staring at it as if it might shatter in her hands. Were Tourmaline in a better frame of mind, she would have stopped to appreciate how much more easily Sardonyx was carrying herself or noticed how although Sardonyx was picking a flower, the shadow she was casting on the grass was calmly regarding Tourmaline. But as it was-

"Lady Sardonyx!" Tourmaline called after her boss. " _Why_?"

Sardonyx turned her attentions away from the lattice and towards Tourmaline. She coolly regarded her subordinate with vermillion eyes that shined a bit brighter than they had in a while.

"Why _what_ , Tourmaline?"

For a moment, Tourmaline wanted to raise her voice, because how dare her question earn such an _oblivious_ response... but then she sharply reminded herself that this was Sardonyx, the woman she quite literally existed for these days. The woman who had not taken her and her siblings' last go at questioning her motives very well. With that in mind, Tourmaline genuflected before Sardonyx before she spoke further.

"That girl..." Tourmaline tried to keep her voice perfectly level. "The other princess... why did you bring her back? Don't you hate all of those people?" Sardonyx did not respond, and as Tourmaline briefly flicked her lightless gold eyes upwards, she found that her superior was looking away from her. That only made her more desperate. "Am I not good enough, Lady Sardonyx? Should I try harder? Lady Sardonyx, you know that I would die for you! Just say the word! I would never-"

Sardonyx approached Tourmaline and bent down before her, meeting her subordinate at eye level. "This has nothing to do with you, Tourmaline. You have your part to play, and that girl has hers."

"But-" Tourmaline protested, even as she allowed Sardonyx to help her to her feet. "Why didn't you-"

Sardonyx looked away hesistantly. "ust keep collecting negative energy and working towards defeating Pretty Cure, Tourmaline. That is your role, and you play it excellently. Just as that girl has her own role to play. Leave her to me. That's all I ask of you."

"But of course, Lady Sardonyx!" Any remaining shreds of anger at Sardonyx were forgotten in the face of the tiny scrap of validation she had thrown Tourmaline's way. "My life for you! I simply feared that-"

"That girl's role has nothing to do with yours." Sardonyx said. "I'm sure you can both coeexist peacefully. We all share the same goal, after all."

As Sardonyx spoke, the rose in her hand burst into flames, rapidly burning away into ashes. Tourmaline created a gentle gust of wind from her palm, scattering the ashes into the distance, using her powers to swirl them about this way and that until they were gone.

"Emotions, dreams, willpower... even without my help, they will all disappear eventually. Thus, the world I long to create is the ideal world."

"A world of silence. _Worlds_ of silence." Tourmaline smiled as she watched the wind she had produced carry away the ashes. "And all of us, frozen eternally. I relish the day your vision becomes reality, Lady Sardonyx."

"As do I." Something alien flickered behind Sardonyx's eyes as she and Tourmaline stood side-by-side in the garden, her shadow curiously inclining its head to the side as it regarded the pair.

Yes... she had all the pawns she needed. Now all she needed to do was wait for them to play out their roles.

* * *

By the end of the day, Nanami had barely been able to speak with Celes. The elder princess had kept a careful vigil near her sister's bedside, only leaving to attend to her own personal needs, but her little sister had spent most of the evening floating in and out of wakefulness and was barely lucid when she had been awake. Even if she had escaped the fate most of Illuster had shared, her ordeals had clearly taken a toll on her health.

Once nighttime rolled around, Tsubasa helped Nanami prepare Celes for bed. Together, the two assisted the half-conscious young girl in getting cleaned up and changed into a pair of Nanami's pajamas before laying her down to sleep in Nanami's bed.

It had taken some coaxing to make Nanami leave Celes alone after she had gotten her properly tucked in. But finally, Kohaku had lured her princess away from her sister for the time being with a gentle "I know you're worried, but you need to give yourself a little bit of space to breathe."

Nanami had still hesitated, but she had to admit that Kohaku was right. She was a bundle of emotion at present, and she probably did need to decompress. Thus, she had joined Kohaku and Sirius at one of Shooting Star's tables, where Tsubasa provided the group with a coffee cake and hot cocoa.

"It's been an emotional time, I'm sure." Tsubasa said. "God knows what I'd be like if Meg up and went missing and then just. Showed up like that. This should help a little bit?"

"Thank you kindly, Tsubasa." Nanami took a sip of cocoa, before pausing. "But… since Celes is here, this means-"

"Yeah, it does." Tsubasa did not look up from cleaning the coffee-making supplies as she spoke. "But it's fine, really! I have some of the money Himi-san gave me left over. I can just close this place tomorrow, and pick up some supplies for our new arrival!" She laughed dryly before adding " _And_ I can be upfront with Meg about where she came from." She shook her head. "Seriously, it's alright, Nanami."

Nanami looked terribly troubled by Tsubasa's proposal. "Can't we do it? That way, you don't have to take a day off from work if you don't want to."

"What, go shopping?" Tsubasa asked. "I… appreciate the sentiment, but I wouldn't dare make a couple of kids do my dirty work."

"Right," Kohaku said, after blowing vigorously on her hot cocoa "but if Nanami wants to, then you aren't making her, correct?"

"That's right." Nanami said. "I want to do this. I'm familiar with many of the shops in this area by now, I have a decent enough grasp on the system of currency you use here, and it could be a nice opportunity to spend time with Celes."

Tsubasa did not look entirely happy with what Nanami was saying, but she also didn't look inclined to argue. "I guess you can? I'd appreciate being able to keep this place open, but… at least take Sirius with you! You need at least one adult!"

"I was planning on coming along anyway." Sirius said. "Lady Nanami isn't the only person who has some catching up to do with Lady Celes."

Kohaku stared into her mug, taking a hesitant sip of cocoa before recoiling and blowing on it some more. She wouldn't even pretend that she was included in this business. Celes didn't like her or see her as a person, and unlike Nanami, she had no emotional stake in this. At best, she was an accessory to this affair.

She could at least pretend that she wasn't at all suspicious of Celes, or that some small part of her wasn't waiting for the younger princess to pull something, awful as such a sentiment was. Nanami had told her off for suspecting Celes, and she still couldn't let it go. How _disappointing_ of her.

"I'm glad for you, Nanami." Kohaku offered her partner a smile she didn't entirely feel. "I can only imagine how relieved you feel right now."

"Oh Kohaku…" Nanami's voice caught slightly as she looked up at the taller girl with tearful eyes. "You really have no idea."

Nanami was able to sleep more peacefully that night than she had in a long time. That Celes spent the duration of the night clinging to her like a koala or that she came a bit too close to accidentally rolling over onto Vulpecula several times hardly mattered. Her sister was safe and sound on Earth. She had been reunited with Celes after thinking her as lost as everyone else.

Yes… she and the other Illuster refugees had a very long road ahead of them before they could return home, but for now, everything felt like it was going to turn out alright.

* * *

Celes woke to the sound of muffled conversation filtering into the bedroom she had shared with Nanami. The younger princess of Illuster cracked open an eye to see her older sister and that bodyguard of theirs, who were currently trying to slip out of the room with-

"Is that the Celestial Orgel?"

Kohaku jumped a bit at the sound of Celes' voice. "Oh! Good morning, Celes."

"I'm sorry if we woke you up." Nanami said gently. "Kohaku and I forgot to transfer the last round of Rainbow Energy we gathered to the Orgel, so we were going to take care of that while you were still asleep."

"You don't have to do that." Celes said. She pulled herself to a kneeling position atop the bedclothes and holding Vulpecula close as she regarded the two, making sure to fire another glare Kohaku's way at her failure to use her proper title. "This is one of Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo's duties, right? I want to see!"

Kohaku stared at Celes for a moment, then back to the Orgel. "I… suppose it couldn't hurt." she said. "If you're certain you don't need the rest, anyway."

"I didn't ask _you_." Celes sniffed, before turning her attentions to Nanami. "C'mon, Nerissa, show me!"

"But of course." Nerissa said. "In exchange, you'll stop speaking so rudely to Kohaku. If we're going to live together like this, you can't carry on like you used to, Celes."

" _Fine_." Celes huffed. "Sorry, Amber. Won't do it again. Now, can I see it?"

Nanami knew an insincere apology when she saw one… but for now, she would pick her battles. Thus, she left it at "You may, Celes" before gently depositing the Orgel on the bed near her sister before she and Kohaku sat down near it. She moved to open the Orgel… before hesitating and looking up at Celes. "Would you like to do the honors, Celes?"

"I wouldn't mind." Celes said. She set Vulpecula aside before reaching towards the Orgel, only for to freeze apprehensively once she was an inch or so away from touching it, as if she feared it might bite her hand if she got too close.

"Celes?" Nanami asked. "Is everything alright?"

"Sure it is, I just…" Celes frowned, casting her eyes downwards. "I'm worried I might mess it up somehow. What if I make all the energy you gathered leak out or something?"

Before Celes could say anything further, Nanami laid a gentle hand on Celes' shoulder. "You won't." she said. "If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't let you do this."

"That is true…" Celes said quietly, before taking a deep breath, nodding, and moving to open the Orgel. Her hands glowed with whitish-gold light as she touched the lid, and the gemstones on the lid glowed whitish-gold in turn. From there, the lid opened easily.

Nothing bad happened once the Orgel was opened. Inside was a cylinder made of eight interlocked pieces of crystal, each in a color of the rainbow. The red crystal glowed brightly from within with shimmering, multicolored light, and the orange crystal glowed very faintly with the same light, but the others were completely lightless. Said cylinder sat next to a comb mechanism made of shining gold, along with several other motors, made of a pearlescent material. Were the crystals powered by Rainbow Energy, these components would have worked together to produce the Rainbow Melody in perpetuity, but as it was…

...they remained still and quiet, but not for long. Not if Pretty Cure could help it. Nanami and Kohaku nodded at one another before producing their Roaring Compacts and pressing a button on their front. The Compacts popped open, and the shimmering, multicolored energy the Cures had been gathering flowed out of them, the sheer power of said energy making everyone's hair stand on end as it poured directly into the orange crystal, which glowed just a bit more brightly afterward. For a moment, the three girls were certain they could have heard a faint scrap of the Rainbow Melody in the wake of this… and then it was gone, leaving them in silence.

Afterward, the Orgel shut on its own, and Nanami gingerly scooped it up before carrying it over to her desk and carefully sitting it back in its usual spot. "And that's that." she said. "Thank you for your help, Celes."

"Of course." Celes stared after the Orgel as she spoke. "That was amazing - it seems like such a small thing, but that'll be the key to us going home..." Her tone grew a bit distant there before she added "But is it really okay to just leave it laying out like that?"

"I don't see a problem." Nanami said. "Those three can't touch it, the only people who can open it are on the side of good, and Sardonyx… Siri says they could use their magic to keep the Orgel safe if Sardonyx tries to take it." She gazed wistfully at the Orgel. "I find it reassuring, having it near me like this. It's a reminder of what Kohaku and I are fighting for. Just like you are, Celes."

"Nerissa…" Celes said quietly. Her gaze looked a bit distant for a moment, before she regained her bearings and added "So what are you guys gonna do now?"

"We were going to go shopping, if you're feeling up to it." Kohaku said.

"That's right." Nanami said. "Since you'll be living here for a while, you'll need a few supplies - that, and I'm sure you'd love to have a look around town. Again, only if you are certain you're feeling well."

"Of course I am!" Celes said. "I'm fine and full of energy now!" As if to demonstrate, she stood up on the bed, jumped up and down, and then leapt off the bed and onto the floor before proceeding to jump up and down several more times, using her magic to make Vulpecula bob up and down in the air in time to her movements. "See?"

"I certainly do." Nanami politely muffled her laughter. "Anyway, Tsubasa bought a fresh change of clothes for you last night," she said, motioning to the carefully folded sky blue ensemble on her dresser. "We're going to get out of your hair for now. There will be breakfast waiting for you downstairs." As Kohaku slipped out the doorway, Nanami paused by it. "And Celes?"

"What is it?" Celes asked.

"Love you." said Nanami. And then she was gone, her footsteps fading into the distance as she let the bedroom door shut behind her.

Celes stared after the two Cures, Vulpecula following her lead, before turning her attentions to the Orgel. She stared fixedly at it for a long time before she moved to get ready.

* * *

The Illuster refugees' trip through the shopping district was slow going. Just getting there took a while, as Celes pelted Nanami and Sirius with questions about where Seizato was, what the culture was like, how magic worked in this world, and the like, slowing their progress to a crawl. And once the group arrived in the shopping district proper, Nanami, Kohaku, and Sirius found themselves struggling to keep themselves from losing Celes, as the younger princess became distracted by storefronts, merchandise stands, passers-by, or just random pieces of scenery.

"I'm sorry, Nerissa." Celes said sheepishly after her older sister had to run back and retrieve her, lest she and her other two companions leave her behind by accident for what had to be the fiftieth time. "It's just all so new to me."

"I understand, don't worry." Nanami said. She might have considered her own upbringing sheltered, but Celes, being younger, had been given even less freedom. "It is quite nice, being able to move about unattended. And the people here are…"

"...they're different from what I'm used to in Illuster." Celes said as she and her sister fell back in with Kohaku and Sirius. "They dress different, they act different… and it's so strange, only seeing humans around here. I keep wondering where the Celestial Beasts got off to."

"Maybe so." Nanami said. "But… at their core, everyone here is the same as everyone in Illuster. They all have beautiful, shining hearts that are worth protecting." She beamed as she spoke. "That's another reason I love being a Cure, you know."

"As do I." Kohaku said. "I felt out of place in this world at first, but there are so many good people here. I won't let the Void Clan sniff the light in their hearts out."

Celes looked away as Kohaku spoke, her eyes flitting to the ground. The young girl appeared to be deep in thought… so deep in thought that she did not notice the three girls standing directly in her path, smoothies in hands as they conversed with one another, until she had already bumped right into one of them, sending a small portion of her drink splattering onto the ground.

"Excuse me?!" the girl Celes had bumped into - Aiko Akagi - snapped. "Do you have eyes, you brat? Look what you just did!" On the last part, she motioned angrily towards the tiny bit of smoothie she had spilled on the ground.

Celes said nothing. She simply stared up at Aiko. Vulpecula, who she held close to her chest, seemed to stare right along with her. Aiko looked more than ready to tear the doll out of her hands for it.

That was Nanami's cue to run up to Celes and try to lead her away before things could escalate any further than they were already threatening to.

"My apologies." Nanami said quietly as she tried to herd Celes away from Aiko and the others. "She simply wasn't watching where she was going."

"Oh, it's _you_." Bunko said coldly. "That your little sister or something?"

"Looks like it." Chieko said. "She's every bit as careless as you are, isn't she?"

Koharku strode forwards and planted herself in between the two princesses and the trio. Sirius followed her lead. "Would you three _please-"_ she began.

Celes simply walked out from behind Kohaku and Sirius. "Who are you to talk to me or my sister like that?" she asked Aiko, sounding eerily calm for a ten-year-old. Before Aiko could open her mouth, the young girl added "Nothing. You're nothing." Then, to Nanami and the others, "Let's go. I want to see what kind of clothes they have here."

"Wh-what!" Aiko sputtered as Nanami and the others went on their way. "You can't just-!" She screamed in frustration and dashed after the group. " _You're nothing_!" she yelled. "Just like Himi-san! That catty, backstabbing, lying… it's your fault everyone ignores me, Nagisa-san!"

"At least no one is speaking to Himi-san either." Bunko said.

Nanami looked over her shoulder at the trio. "Ah, really?" she said. "That's news to me - the party we had at Himi-san's estate with everyone was quite lovely, wasn't it, Kohaku?"

"It certainly was, Nanami." Kohaku said. "It's nice to see that many people getting along with Himi-san."

And then they were off, leaving Aiko to ineffectually scream after them. As they went on their way, Nanami saw the corner of Celes' mouth twitch. She felt a sudden buzz of energy in the air, and then she heard a loud splat behind them in the distance, followed by Aiko wailing about how the bottom had suddenly dropped out of her smoothie cup.

" _Celes_." Nanami said firmly to her sister.

"You said everyone here has beautiful hearts, but those three's weren't beautiful at all." Celes said. She sounded oddly somber - and not at all sorry about what she had done. "I don't know if I could protect hearts like theirs."

"A hero can't afford to be selective about who they protect, you know." Sirius said. "If one of those three had their Roaring Spark stolen, those two would still fight to save it. It's what Pretty Cure is here to do, yes, yes."

"If you say so…" Celes said absently, before a clothing boutique with a particularly frilly and colorful-looking front - Aurora Sparkle, according to the sign on said storefront - caught her eye, and her bearing immediately changed. "Oh!" She motioned excitedly towards the storefront. "Let's go in here!"

Seconds after she had 'suggested' this, Celes bolted into the boutique on her own, leaving Nanami and Kohaku with no choice but to follow her inside. Sirius was, of course, stuck standing watch outside. Not that they minded, they assured the two. They weren't fussed by much anyway.

* * *

Nanami and Kohaku stepped into Aurora Sparkle to be greeted with the sound of mellow-sounding pop music playing on the speakers and the sight of glittering pastel-colored decor and numerous shelves and racks of clothing and accessories, all of which seemed to be tailored for preteen to teenage girls. Celes was looking from one display to another with sparkling eyes. Vulpecula seeming to follow the young princess' lead as she took in everything around her.

"It's all so pretty…" she said quietly, before looking over at Nanami. "Nerissa, I want to buy it. All of it."

"Celes… I don't think that's possible. Not here." Nanami said. "You can pick out a few things, but we cannot do it on a princess' budget. Be reasonable."

As Celes grumbled under her breath, a familiar face stepped into view from around one of the clothing racks - Sakuya Futaki, who appeared to be replacing a few items back in their proper places, judging by the clothing he had draped over his arm.

"Oh, Nagisa-san, Shishioh-san. Hello." he said.

"Hey, Futaki-san." Kohaku said. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, this old place?" Sakuya replied. "My mom owns it, so I agreed to help her out a little." Sakuya turned his attentions to Celes, who had returned to excitedly browsing the store. "Is that your little sister, Nagisa-san? She looks a bit like you."

"That's right!" Celes chirped, her attention drawn by the mention of her name. "I'm Pr- I'm Celes! Nice to meet you!" As she spoke, she made Vulpecula, who she was carrying with one arm, wave. From the way she was holding the doll, one could assume this was just clever puppetry and not magic.

"Nice to meet you as well." Sakuya did a small double-take at Celes' name... and prompting Nanami and Kohaku, who were beginning to idly browse Aurora Sparkle's wares themselves, to mentally pray he wouldn't ask about it. Lucikly, his attention was quickly captured by Vulpecula. "What a cute doll you have there!" he said before catching himself, coughing into his palm, and adding, in a much more level tone. "Clearly, whoever made her was an excellent craftsman. I'm impressed."

"Isn't she neat?" Celes asked. Then, in a higher-pitched voice she added "'Hello, Mr. Futaki! I'm Vulpecula! I'm Lady Celes' best friend, and I loooove her a lot!'" As Vulpecula 'spoke', Celes made her doll's head bob up and down in time to her 'words'. "See? She's really cool!"

"Celes?" Nanami called after her sister. "Don't you want to look around? I found a few things that you might like."

"Oh sure!" Celes said. "Bye, Mr. Futaki! It was nice talking to you!"

"Hey, uh" Sakuya said quietly, prompting Celes to stop in her tracks "just so you know, sewing doll clothes is… kind of a hobby of mine. I could make some cute stuff for your friend to wear if you want? I could even make matching outfits."

Celes looked a bit… distant for a moment before she replied with "I think that would be lovely." Then, Vulpecula 'added' "'Oh yes! I would love to match Lady Celes!'" She curtsied to Sakuya before joining her sister and her bodyguard in browsing the store.

* * *

What followed was what had to be the one of the most enjoyable days that Nanami had experienced since she had first arrived in Seizato, even in the face of the occasional wrinkle.

Celes had a great deal of fun modeling new outfits for her big sister - the younger princess turned out to wear most everything Aurora Sparkle had in her size quite well. Soon, she became curious about how Nanami looked in its clothing (Kohaku, she was pointedly ignoring), and although the elder princess pointed out that she wasn't there to shop, soon, she had been pulled into an impromptu fashion show with her little sister, with the two modeling everything from athletic wear to pajamas to formal wear to casual dresses.

As it turned out, Nanami also wore most everything there in her size quite well - especially the pink, floral-themed offerings. Kohaku, who took a quite a few pictures of the sisters in the outfits they had chosen to try on after a little bit of fumbling with the camera of her phone (an object Celes was immediately taken with and begged Nanami to buy for her), wasted no time in letting her know just how beautiful she looked in them, sending the now very flustered elder princess retreating into the dressing room for a moment, much to Celes' confusion.

By the time the three were finished and ready to regroup with Sirius, they had a sizable selection of new things for Celes to wear, and Nanami had a small list of things she wanted to check out in the future - "Not now, since it's your day, but soon." she told Celes. "But we make quite a fashionable pair, don't we?"

Then it came time to head to another store and buy some new personal care supplies for Celes. The group received help in the form of Misaki, who was there to buy a few items for her 'top secret, super-special, super-magical project!' which she clammed up about once Nanami pressed her for details. What she was willing to speak about freely was personal care products, pointing out a selection of of soaps, lotions, hair care supplies and the like that would be best for Celes - "I know this stuff will do wonders for you! My favorite beauty blogger swears by it!" she claimed.

For a moment, Misaki had looked oddly… knowing when Celes introduced herself, a sight that gave Kohaku a bit of pause… but then that moment passed, and she was back to eagerly assisting the group with picking out supplies for Celes until everyone had gone on their way.

The group decided to browse a home goods store, with Celes managing to find a beautiful cloud lamp and a few pillows for the room she was to share with Nanami - "I suppose we'll have to buy another bed, but that would be difficult for even Kohaku to carry around", she had said, with Kohaku agreeing that lugging a mattress around the shopping district would draw more attention than anything else the group could do.

After dropping off their purchases at Shooting Star, the group agreed that there was plenty more to do in Seizato before they headed home for the day, or at least Celes did. Soon, Nanami, Kohaku, and Celes ended up at Seizato's local arcade, where Celes proved to be scarily good at one of the target shooting games, enough that Taeko, who had just finished a round at one of the fighting arcade machines, asked if Sorairo's archery club could borrow her for a while.

Before the group could leave the arcade, Celes' attention was drawn by one of the print club booths - "Look! It's a Pretty Cure booth!" - and had soon wrangled her older sister into joining her at one. By the end of it, Nanami had quite the impressive collection of photos, one set with Celes and one set with Kohaku… and neither with both in the frame, because Celes had looked terribly offended when Nanami suggested she take some photos with Kohaku, and Kohaku hadn't looked very enthusiastic either. That was… troubling, and something that needed to be worked on down the line, but it wasn't an issue that Nanami felt like pressing right now.

Then, of course, the group had to spend a bit of time in Seizato's local library, with Nanami, who had practically dived into the stacks of books the second she entered, having to be coaxed away from said books once Celes hit on another place she wanted to visit. While there, the group ran into Amane, who was visibly relieved at Celes' recovery… and a bit disheartened when Celes replied to this with "Who are you supposed to be?" Nanami and Kohaku had helped her spirits a bit by talking up Amane's status as class representative and avid volunteer, but they weren't sure it or the apology that Celes had ended up managing had entirely helped.

And then everyone had capped off the day with a stop for ice cream, with Celes and Nanami splitting a giant sundae, and Kohaku enjoying a bowl of mango sherbet, occasionally sneaking bits of it to Sirius as the four sat at a table outside the ice cream parlor.

The group quickly drew the attention of Robin and Yuzuki, who had been sharing a giant parfait nearby, with Celes happily eating up Robin's description of her as 'an adorable little lady'... before pointing out that she had ice cream all over her nose. That was the cue for Yuzuki - who shared a knowing glance with Nanami at the sight of her and Kohaku's phones - to clean her girlfriend's face, Robin mock-dramatically protesting it the entire time.

Nanami had found herself laughing quietly at this… before Kohaku pointed out that Nanami had chocolate smeared all over her chin and moved to clean it up. The sight had Celes plunging into a giggle fit and Nanami agreeing that yes, she did look a little silly, didn't she, as Kohaku assured her that she adored her all the same.

Yes, Nanami thought to herself as everyone finished off their ice cream, this all seemed like a dream. But no, this was all really happening, and it was surely the first in what would be one of many brighter days to come. She couldn't be more grateful for that.

* * *

As the sun began to slowly sink over the horizon, the Illuster refugees idled by the Four Maidens. Celes had wanted to cap off the day by running around and exploring every inch of the park, and by the end of it, the young girl had burned herself out completely, judging by how heavily she was leaning against the statue with the bird in her hands.

"This place isn't bad at all." Celes said. "They even have these four sitting right here like this... I wonder where they came from?"

"Intriguing, aren't they?" said Sirius as they stared up at the statues. "I wish I could pick the brain of someone, anyone who knows anything about them. Whatever their origin, they're certainly..." They sighed wistfully. "I almost feel like I'm standing back at the Temple of the Stars with you, Lady Celes."

"As do I." Celes replied. "It feels so long ago, everyone finding me there like that." Right before she had... and before she could finish that thought, the sound of sniffling caught her ears. Nanami had removed her glasses and was dabbing at her eyes, which were beginning to tear up. "Nerissa? Is everything alright?"

"Everything's more than alright!" Nanami said. "I'm just… I'm just overwhelmed." Before Celes could speak any further, Nanami pocketed her glasses and pulled her sister into a tight hug, bursting into tears of joy. "I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!"

"You do?" Celes said as her older sister released her from the hug.

"Of course she does." Kohaku said, as Nanami, who was in no state to reply, tearfully nodded. "Nanami was constantly thinking about you when we first arrived on Earth. She missed you a lot."

"I see..." Celes pointedly refused to make eye contact with Kohaku as she spoke. "I'm glad to hear that." Her words sounded a bit hollow, and although Nanami didn't seem to notice, Kohaku certainly did, judging by the measured look she shot the younger princess, who proceeded to let out a loud yawn.

"Oh, dear, dear - we should be going soon, shouldn't we?" Sirius said. "You look exhausted, Lady Celes."

"I'm not!" Celes said... right before another yawn tumbled out of her mouth. "Okay, I am a little. I guess we can go back to that place for tonight."

"That sounds optimal - I'm feeling a bit worn out myself." Nanami said. "There is still a great deal we need to do before you can settle into Shooting Star properly, but we can leave that for tomorrow. We will have plenty of time, after all."

Once Nanami had said her piece, Celes reached for her hand, which her older sister wasted no time in taking. That done, both girls took off together, hand-in-hand, with Sirius dashing after them. Kohaku watched them for a few moments, her lips pressed into a thin line, before she also followed.

* * *

"Are you sure you kids will be okay on your own?" Tsubasa asked as she took a moment to check her appearance in her smartphone camera again. The owner of Shooting Star had been invited to a 'night on the town' and had taken the time to dress up for it quite nicely after getting the go-ahead from her charges. Between her makeup, her elegant black dress and boots, and her neatly coiffed hairstyle, you could hardly tell she was the same woman. "I bad leaving you kids here like this - especially you, Celes."

"Oh, it's perfectly alright." Celes said. She and the other Illuster refugees were in Shooting Star's main area, prepared to see Tsubasa off for the night. "I'll have my big sister and Sirius with me, after all."

"If you're sure..." Tsubasa, who did not sound at all sure, said. "Anyway, there are leftovers in the fridge if you're not feeling up to making dinner for everyone, Kohaku, and there's a television with a DVD player in one of the rooms upstairs. Did you kids ever have movie nights back where you're from?"

"Unfortunately, no." Nanami said. "Is it fun?"

"Oh, for sure! Meg and I used to look forwards to stuff like this every weekend. Made our night when Mom bought some new movies for our collection. I've still got most of them upstairs." Tsubasa said as she took one last moment to fix her hair. "You can pop some popcorn - there's bags in the cupboard up there - and share some while you watch a movie, or maybe two? Just... don't stay up too late, please."

"That does sound like it would be fun." Nanami found herself unable to point out that she didn't know how to work a DVD player, and she severely doubted that anyone else present in Shooting Star tonight did either. "A perfect way to finish off what has been a marvelous day."

Tsubasa hesitated for a moment longer before taking note of the reassuring glances everyone else was shooting her and slowly exhaling. "Well, guess I'd better get going. Kei wouldn't like me making her wait all night." As she opened the front door, she added "Please call me if anything comes up!"

"Don't worry!" Celes and Vulpecula, who was hovering besides her, waved farewell. "Everything will be just fine!"

Tsubasa didn't seem like she really believed that. Nevertheless, she departed, shutting and locking the door behind her.

* * *

Movie night did turn out to be quite fun indeed, once Sirius had figured out how the DVD player in the den upstairs worked. There was a beaten-up couch in said den, where the three girls ended up perched on, Nanami sandwiched in between Kohaku and Celes. The trio shared a large bowl of popcorn, occasionally tossing pieces towards Sirius, who had seated themselves on the floor, as they watched the movie Nanami had ended up choosing. Nanami was crying inconsolably over towards the end, when the elder sister sacrificed herself to lift the curse that had been cast on her younger sister.

"Would you do that for me, Nerissa?" Celes asked as the credits of the movie rolled.

"Of course I would, Celes." Nanami took a moment to wipe her eyes before she put her glasses back on, as Kohaku patted her comfortingly on the shoulder. "You're my precious little sister, after all. But... I would like to hope it would never have to come to that."

Any thought of watching a second movie was quickly nipped in the bud when Celes announced she was tired, prompting the Illuster refugees to clean up the den and get ready for bed. Soon, everyone in Shooting Star was asleep, ready for the next in what was certain to be a string of happier days.

Well, most people in Shooting Star were asleep, anyway.

Celes did her best to feign sleep once she and Nanami had settled into bed. She listened to Sirius wishing their princesses goodnight, Kohaku wishing the two a plesant sleep, and finally, one last mumbled 'I love you, Celes' from her sister. And then Nanami had drifted off into slumber, and Celes waited. One moment, two moments, three moments…

Forcing herself to get up was difficult. Part of her just wanted to forget this, let herself sleep, and wake up to a fresh start in a new world. But the other part of her knew that wasn't an option. Not for someone like her.

 _Poor thing… I'm sure the guilt is eating you alive. But it's fine. That will disappear too, someday._

Children like her didn't deserve good things. Not after what she'd done. This was really all she had left, wasn't it?

And so Celes slipped out of bed, Vulpecula hovering beside her, and crept towards the Celestial Orgel, her sister's words - _we can be a family again a reminder of what i'm fighting for i am the luckiest girl in the world i love you celes_ \- playing over and over in her head like a twisted mantra as she grabbed it. Even now, part of her still feared that such an act would burn her hands. That was what it was supposed to do to evil people, right?

As Celes prepared to slip out of the room, clutching the Orgel to her chest, she paused by the doorway and took in Nanami's sleeping form.

"Sorry, Nerissa."

And then Celes was gone. As she made her way down the stairs, she occasionally paused, feeling her heart beat a mile a minute. But nobody came, and that emboldened the young girl to keep going onwards. Just a few more steps, and the task she had put off for long enough would be complete-

-and then someone grabbed her by the arm, a few paces after she had descended the stairs. Before Celes could react to this, another person easily wrested the Orgel out of her hands. Seconds later, the lights of Shooting Star's main area flicked on to reveal-

"Amber? Sirius? What is the meaning of this?!" Celes demanded as she took in the sight of the princess' bodyguard, who was currently restraining her like some common criminal and the royal head librarian, who had parked themselves in front of Shooting Star's front entrance, holding the Orgel to their chest.

"I didn't want to suspect you of anything, Celes." Kohaku refused to dignify Celes' question with a response. "Sirius didn't either. And indeed, the librarian looked quietly miserable at present. "But something wasn't adding up. It looks like I was right to be wary after all."

Celes responded by fighting harder against Kohaku's grip. "Do not take that tone with me!" she snapped. "Let me go, Amber! I _order_ you to let me go! That's a royal decree!"

Kohaku remained unmoved… even if a close observer could tell that this was paining her every bit as much as it pained Sirius. "Celes… how did you know that Nerissa and I were Delphinus and Leo? There was no way you could have known which of the Roaring Medallions we'd end up using. Not without outside help."

"If I scream for Nerissa, she'll take my side." Celes had ceased to struggle against Kohaku's grip, but she clearly wasn't going to take this lying down. "After all, I'm her precious little sister. What is a mere servant compared to me?"

"Lady Celes, there isn't any need for this." There was a hint of anguish mixed into Sirius' usually calmly cheerful tone. "Do you know how much this would hurt your sister?"

"You're right." Celes' stare looked every bit as glassy as Vulpecula's now. "Hand over the Orgel, Sirius. Then we won't have to fight."

Sirius shook their head sadly. "That I can't do, Lady Celes. This is the future of our kingdom. I'm not going to throw it away, even if one of my princesses orders me to."

Celes fixed Sirius with a death glare… before abruptly jerking herself out of Kohaku's grasp and flinging herself onto the floor, making sure to knock over a few chairs along the way. "Nerissa!" she screamed at the top of her lungs from her prone position. "Nerissa, help me!"

The ruse worked like a charm - within moments, Nanami came thundering down the stairs, Roaring Compact in hand, to be faced with Sirius holding the Orgel, a stunned Kohaku, and her sister, lying sprawled on the floor, sobbing inconsolably.

"Celes?!" Nanami asked as she flew to her sister's side. "What in the world happened?"

"It's… it's Amber!" Celes sobbed, clinging close to Nanami once her sister helped her to her feet. "Sh-she was trying to steal the Orgel… I tried so hard to stop her, b-but…" She broke down into inconsolable wailing. "Why is this... I just wanted to get along with everyone!"

Nanami frowned as she looked from Celes to Kohaku and back again. "That… doesn't sound right." she said. "Kohaku… what really happened?"

"Your sister attempted to steal the Orgel." Kohaku looked as if each word out of her mouth physically pained her. "As you can see, Sirius and I were able to stop her."

Nanami pulled away from Celes, staring uncomprehendingly at her sister. "Celes?"

Celes stared right back. "Are you really taking the words of a servant over mine?" she asked, as the temperature in the room dropped slightly and the lights flickered a little, something that had both Kohaku and Sirius on-edge. "Nerissa… don't you love me anymore?"

"I love both of you!" Nanami's grip on her Roaring Compact subconsciously tightenedas she spoke. "You're my precious little sister… but Kohaku is my precious partner! And I want to put my trust in my partner! So please… Celes - tell me what's going on!"

Celes gave no explanation. Instead, the young girl stepped back, the lights in Shooting Star flickering more violently and the temperature in the room dropping further as the coffee-making equipment in the room began to shake. There was a flash of dark violet light, and Celes was suddenly dressed in an outfit that closely resembled her formal attire outside of a few changes - said outfit was now mostly pitch black, with dark violet accents, the long, flowing skirt and heels had been replaced with a shorter, stiffer skirt, tights, and low-heeled boots, and the tiara was now inset with a dark violet half-crescent gem.

The very moment this happened several chairs in Shooting Star began to glow violet as they were raised up into the air and angled towards Sirius - the librarian had overpowered Celes earlier, so now she was going to beat the librarian into submission.

Kohaku was not going to let that happen. "Medal, Set! Pretty Cure Roaring Rebirth!" she cried as she leapt into action, slicing right through several of the chairs with the energy sword she created with incredible speed and managing to deflect the one she couldn't destroy with her shield. "Sirius, please run!" Leo said as she stood firm, still projecting her shield in front of her.

Sirius wasted no time in bolting up the stairs… and Celes wasted no time in going after them. " _No!_ " she screamed as she flung bolts of magical energy, followed by a salvo of coffee cups at the librarian. Leo moved to deflect those as well, before Celes resorted to trying to yank the Orgel out of Sirius' grasp with her magic. "You can't… I _demand_ for you to hand over-"

Before Celes could get any further, Leo leapt forwards and shoved her away from Sirius - not hard enough to cause injury but hard enough to send Celes reeling backwards several paces, giving Sirius an opening to flee.

Were Celes a rational being, she would have forgotten this offense and gone after Sirius, because Leo was clearly out of her league and irrelevant to her mission. But Celes was a child and a child who was consumed by offense at being manhandled by a mere servant at that. So, she resolved to destroy Leo. She wheeled on the orange Cure, her eyes glowing supernaturally, as she lifted more objects into the air, aiming them towards Leo… and by proxy, her sister, who was pressed against the wall behind her partner.

Nanami had been unable to so much as move, let alone use the Roaring Compact she maintained a death grip on. This didn't feel real. This shouldn't have been real. Celes was her sister. She wouldn't do this. She was doing this. She needed to do something. She couldn't do anything. Why was this happening. _Why was this happening?!_

"Nanami!" Leo said as Celes flung numerous objects - utensils, pads of paper, coffee cups, jars, napkin dispensers, chairs - at her with her magic, forcing her to deflect them with her shield to the best of her ability. "You need to transform!"

"I can't…" Nanami said numbly. "Kohaku, she's my little sister, I can't-!"

"Please!" Leo begged as she fought to keep Nanami from getting hurt in what was quickly turning into her and Celes' fight.

And then a knife embedded itself by the wall, just a bit too close to Nanami's face. That was enough to bring her snapping right back to reality. "Medal, Set! Pretty Cure! Roaring Rebirth!" she cried, touching down next to Leo once she transformed. "Celes! That's enough!"

"Shut up!" Celes hissed. "Shut up, shut up, shut up! I hate you! I hate both of you so much!"

Before either Cure could react further, the lights in Shooting Star flickered more violently than ever before, the surroundings shook as if hit by a small tremor, and the air became ice-cold. The young girl's eyes glowed bright violet, and there was an immense burst of dark violet light, which blasted a sizable hole in the wall behind both Cures, sending them flying through it and tumbling roughly out onto the ground outside. Celes wasted no time in following them.

Delphinus had a moment to try and catch the breath that had been knocked right out of her and allow Leo to help her to her feet before she locked eyes with her little sister, who was beginning to breathe quite heavily, sweat beading on her brow, as she advanced on the two of them.

"Celes… why are you doing this? Why are you doing… any of it?"

Celes responded by firing a wildly-aimed hail of magic in Pretty Cure's direction, forcing Leo to deflect it with her swords and Delphinus to absorb it with her shield.

"I'm just finishing what I started." she said as she coolly regarded the pair. At this point, Vulpecula, who still hovered besides her, had more life in her eyes than she did.

"Then you…" Delphinus shook her head. "No, that's not right, you wouldn't, you would _never-"_

"I did."

Time seemed to stop for Delphinus, her pupils shrinking a bit as she stared wide-eyed at Celes. Her beloved little sister was the reason that the three of them had to go through this? That Illuster had... that everyone was… it couldn't be...

Delphinus' shock left her defenses wide open. Celes eagerly took advantage, aiming a lightning-quick bolt of magic right at her sister. It caught the pink Cure across the chest, leaving her screaming in pain as she staggered backwards. Leo caught her expertly before she could hit the ground, even as the orange Cure expertly deflected another attempt at an attack from Celes.

The Void Triad watched the scene unfolding before them from their perch atop Shoting Star's observatory, their inhuman eyes glinting in the moonlight."So that's your sisterly bond, Delphinus?" Tourmaline sniffed as she watched Delphinus scramble to avoid another attack from Celes, begging her to stop all the while. "How pathetic."

"It must be painful…" Selenite said quietly, clearly unable to share in her sister's disdainful glee. "If it was us in that position…"

"Don't be foolish." Tourmaline replied flatly. "It will never be us in that position. In the end, we are always on the same page. Nothing like these two."

Agate cared very little about the discussion the twins were having. No, he was preoccupied with how the fight - such as it was - was unfolding.

"Huh." he said. "That's… probably not good."

Delphinus might have been simply trying to keep Celes from hurting her in between attempting to reason with her little sister, but Leo appeared to be stalling Celes. Celes might have been putting up a fight, but she was still a child with little more than a great deal of magic to her name, and those two were super-strong legendary warriors.

Indeed, Celes didn't seem like she would hold out much longer. Her bursts of magic were fast growing weaker, her movements were becoming more labored, and her breathing was growing heavier. Soon enough, the young girl staggered forwards a few paces before collapsing to her knees, her form trembling with exertion. Even keeping Vulpecula hovering besides her was beyond the young girl now - the doll went plunging to the ground soon after Celes did, lying in a sprawled heap besides her owner.

"Celes!" Delphinus cried, dashing forwards towards her sister without a second thought.

"Stay away!" Celes hissed, firing a bolt of magic at her sister, which fizzled and died before it could even reach Delphinus. "Leave me alone!"

Celes' words were no deterrent for Delphinus - but the Void Triad suddenly materializing in front of her and Leo most certainly was.

"That's as far as you go, Pretty Cure!" Tourmaline said as she dropped into a fighting stance, preparing for any moves Leo might make.

Selenite said nothing herself - and a close observer could tell that she wasn't even a fan of this plan, but she still followed her sister's lead as she faced down Delphinus.

Bothering with Celes was not an option for Pretty Cure anymore - the twins wouldn't let them take it. And no matter how hard Delphinus and Leo fought, there was no getting past the sisters.

Tourmaline was still much faster and more evasive than Leo, allowing her to stay just out of reach of the orange Cure's punches and kicks, weaving and dancing around her blows before she landed a few of her own. Were it not for Leo's shield, the orange Cure would have taken more of a beating than she did, and even that didn't completely save her. The second Tourmaline realized she couldn't punch through Leo's shield, she broke it with a burst of razor wind before driving Leo back with a hail of fisticuffs, her blows too numerous and rapid for Leo to parry them all.

Selenite had the advantage over Delphinus when it came to physical strength. The pink Cure might have been able to keep her away with her long-range blasts and torrents of water for a time, but once Selenite closed the gap in between them, punching right through Delphinus' shield with a light-charged fist in the process, the advantage was firmly in her court. Delphinus might have been much physically stronger as a Cure, but Selenite still had more power behind her blows that she did, allowing her to quickly drive the pink Cure back with a flurry of kicks.

As Pretty Cure and the twins clashed, Agate took advantage of both parties' preoccupation with one another and beelined for Celes, who was clutching Vulpecula close to her chest as she fought off a wave of exhaustion-induced dizziness. The second the young girl saw him coming, she curled her lip in disgust and fired a badly-fizzling bolt of magic at him. It hit him across the chest. Judging by his reaction it didn't do anything worse than sting a little.

"We're going back to Illuster." Agate scooped Celes up in his arms before she could do anything further. "You're way too important to Lady Sardonyx to just leave like this."

"I can't!" Celes said hoarsely as she struggled in Agate's grasp, her legs flailing about as she attempted to kick him in the chest. "Pretty Cure… the Orgel…!"

"We'll find some other way of dealing with that music box." Agate was completely unmoved by Celes' further attempts to injure him. "And as for those two… guess this guy'll just have to trust his little sisters with them."

And then Agate and Celes were gone in a flash of dark orange light and a burst of kicked-up soil.

"Celes!" Delphinus cried.

Delphinus' distraction opened her up for a sharp, light-powered punch in the gut from Selenite. Said punch sent her flying backwards by a fair distance, forcing Leo to break from her duel with Tourmaline to run to her partner's side and stabilize her before she could hit the ground again.

"I don't get it." Tourmaline said impassively as she and her sister stood side-by-side, staring down Pretty Cure. "That girl is the cause of your suffering, isn't she? Why are you worried about what happens to her now?"

"Because she's my precious little sister!" said Delphinus, who was leaning heavily on Leo for support. "I'm not going to abandon her, just because she went against me!"

"Delphinus…" Leo said quietly. Her partner's belief in her sister was admirable, but…

"Wouldn't you do the same thing if your own little sister went against you?" Delphinus asked Tourmaline as she took her side by Leo, trying to assume her best fighting stance despite the pain she was in. "Wouldn't you still love her? Wouldn't you still believe in her?"

That was entirely the wrong answer, judging by Tourmaline's reaction. "What a stupid, self-righteous-" She turned to her twin, her gold eyes blazing with fury. "Let's just get rid of these two now! I can't stand looking at them for a second longer!"

Selenite hesitated in the face of the anguish in Delphinus' eyes, coupled with the pink Cures' words. But only for a moment. Even now, she couldn't disappoint Tourmaline. So, she joined hands with her sister, the gems on the backs of their hands glowing as their free hands pulsed with blue and white light.

"Get ready, Pretty Cure!" Selenite said.

"This will end it!" Tourmaline said.

As the sisters flung their palms outward, a massive, twisted beam of light and wind energy rushed towards Pretty Cure, who wasted no time in linking their hands and countering with their own combined attack.

"Pretty Cure! Roaring Hurricane!"

The multicolored beam of light created by Roaring Hurricane rushed towards the beam created by the twins' powers, keeping the latter from decimating the Cures… but for how much longer? As both parties struggled, gritting their teeth and digging their heels into the ground as they poured every last bit of energy they had into their attack in a bid to overpower the other side, the twins' finisher gradually gained ground on the Cures'.

"At this rate…" Leo felt her arms scream in protest as she and Delphinus funneled more and more of their energy into Roaring Hurricane.

"It can't end like this!" Delphinus felt her energy reserves dip lower and lower as she and Leo struggled against the twins' powers.

"Just give up, Pretty Cure!" Tourmaline shouted as she and Selenite put everything they had into their own finisher. "Our victory is inevitable as it is! Why struggle?"

"We're not giving up no matter how powerful you are!" Leo's resolute words sharply contrastedthe badly-strained tone of her voice, as she felt herself being pushed closer and closer to her breaking point. "We wouldn't be here today if we'd done that!"

"I'm not turning my back on Celes!" Delphinus' tone was simultaneously hopeful and exhausted. "I won't give into despair! No matter what happens, no matter what you say… for everyone's sake, I will not give up!"

As Pretty Cure spoke, Selenite felt something stir in her own heart for a moment. Even now, even after that betrayal, Delphinus refused to abandon her sister. Even now, Delphinus still loved her. But Tourmaline… if she was to step too far out of line, would Tourmaline…

As Selenite's heart faltered momentarily, so did the power behind the twins' combined attack. It was just for a moment, but that was all that was needed for Delphinus and Leo, who screamed in exertion as they channeled every bit of remaining energy they had into Roaring Hurricane, which quickly overtook the beam the twins had created. Were the sisters to remain in combat a second longer, they would surely be the ones who ended up defeated.

"We need to retreat!" Selenite said as she felt her energy reserves begin to plummet.

"We can't!" Tourmaline said. "We have to… for Lady Sardonyx, we have to-"

The prospect of _maybe_ pulling out a win after this and _maybe_ pleasing Lady Sardonyx wasn't good enough for Selenite. Before Tourmaline could protest any further, Selenite summoned a circle of silver runes at the feet of herself and her sister. The two vanished in a shower of sparkling light a split-second later, mere seconds before Roaring Hurricane blasted forwards, gouging an immense path towards where the sisters had stood just moments beforehand.

Selenite's decision came not a moment too soon for Delphinus and Leo. Seconds after the twins vanished, the duo collapsed onto the ground and lost their transformations. As the damage inflicted on their immediate surroundings and on Shooting Star reversed itself, Nanami struggled to her knees, fighting against her body, which screamed with pain and exhaustion, every step of the way.

"We could have been a family again…" she muttered, tears running down her nose as she stared down at the ground. "We could have…"

Whatever Nanami was going to say next turned into loud wailing, which only subsided slightly once Kohaku pulled her into a tight hug… before she too, broke down crying. Maybe she didn't personally understand what Nanami was going through, but seeing her partner in this much pain was cause enough to grieve.

* * *

Agate brought Celes back to what was clearly recognizable as her bedchamber, despite the faded and lifeless quality that it and every other inch of Illuster now possessed. Such a place fit a girl of her rank much better than that little bedroom she had shared with her sister, and yet that had felt so much more comforting than this place did now.

Not that she deserved to be comfortable. Not that she deserved anything. Not her.

"Alright, little princess," Agate said as he stood in the doorway of Celes' bedchamber "once you're rested up, head over to the audience chamber. Lady Sardonyx wants to talk to you about-"

Before he could finish speaking, Celes slammed the door in his face.

Celes flung herself onto her bed as she heard a muffled 'I deserved that' from Agate, followed by the sound of his fading footsteps. Only then did she allow herself to mourn, crying until it felt as if she had no more tears left to shed.

"I guess you're my only friend now." Celes said as she rolled onto her side, looking into Vulpecula's glass eyes.

"'Of course, Lady Celes!'" Vulpecula promptly 'replied'. "'I'll love you forever, no matter what'!"

Celes sniffled miserably as she hugged her favorite doll close. "At least somebody can…"

* * *

The Celestial Orgel was nowhere to be seen by the time Nanami and Kohaku, both leaning heavily on one another for support, returned to Shooting Star and reunited with Sirius, who was seated atop Nanami's bed.

"It took a bit, but I found a way to deal with it, while you were..." They trailed off uncomfortably. "Anyway! I'll be carrying the Orgel around from now on, so just give me a shout when you need to transfer more of that Rainbow Energy, alright, alright?"

"But..." Nanami's eyes traveled instinctively to the gold case the librarian wore at their waist. "Siri, that'll just make you more of a target, won't it?"

Sirius shrugged nonchalantly. "I can live with that. You're the hope of Illuster, after all, Lady Nerissa. I don't mind risking my neck for you. Not at all."

"That's right..." Nanami trembled slightly as her gazw fell to the ground. She had no business crying anymore. Not now. Not considering who she was. "I am the hope of Illuster, so I..."

"Nanami..." Kohaku laid a comforting hand on her partner's shoulder. "Should I stay with you tonight?"

"Please?" Nanami said. She would be better, starting tomorrow, she had to be, but right now... "Both of you, please... I don't want to be alone right now."

Nanami spent the rest of the night lying side-by-side with Kohaku, the two's hands clasped together as Sirius slept curled up at the foot of the bed in dog form. She only allowed herself to mourn once her partner and the librarian were asleep, sobbing inconsolably until grief and exhaustion finally overcame her.


	9. Episode Nine

**Episode Nine** : I Love Yuu! The Targeted Little Sister

* * *

The sun had long since risen over the horizon, its rays filtering gently through Nanami's bedroom window, in tandem with gentle birdsong. It was the start of a brand-new day in Seizato. Unfortunately, Nanami wasn't quite ready to face it.

She had not so much as attempted to get herself ready this morning. No, she was still in her pajamas, lying curled up miserably on the bed she had shared with her little sister the previous night, clutching one of the pillows that Celes had bought for herself close to her chest, the photo booth pictures she had taken alongside her little sister scattered next to her. The rays of the morning sun provided little comfort, not now. Especially not with the events of last night playing through her head repeatedly.

 _"I hate you! I hate both of you so much!"_

 _"I'm just finishing what I started."_

 _"Stay away! Leave me alone!"_

A tear ran down Nanami's cheek as she clutched the pillow she was holding even tighter. "Celes…" she sobbed quietly. "Why did you…"

Grieving like this wasn't good. Nanami knew that. She should have gotten all her tears out last night. She needed to keep her mind off her emotions and on the mission. She needed to be strong for Sirius and Kohaku. She was their princess, the hope of Illuster, after all. She had to keep face. She had to be strong. She had to…

The sound of soft footsteps, accompanied by the sound of paws pattering against hardwood could be heard outside Nanami's bedroom door, closely followed by

"Lady Nanami? How are you holding up?" There was Sirius, who was going to guard the Celestial Orgel from here on out.

"Hey… Nanami? Want me to bring you some breakfast? I don't want you going hungry." And there was Kohaku, her partner, who she couldn't afford to drag down.

It took much more effort than it should have, but Nanami was able to force herself to sit up. Breathe in, breathe out. Center yourself. Think of the people. Think of what you need to be for them. It is not about you. When you are royalty, it cannot be about you.

"I'm alright!" Nanami mentally prayed that she didn't sound as fake to Sirius and Kohaku's ears as she did to her own. "I will be down shortly!"

That was right… no matter how much Nanami was hurting right now, she needed to be someone the people of Illuster could rely on. Now more than ever before. She owed that to herself, as much as she did everyone else.

* * *

The Void Triad were greeted with an unusual sight when they were summoned to Sardonyx's audience chamber. The leader of the Void Clan was not in her throne. No, she was sitting on the steps in front of the throne, regarding Celes, who was seated nearby and brushing Vulpecula's hair, with mild interest.

"That's quite a beautiful doll." Sardonyx's tone was far gentler than the one she used with the Triad. "What is her name?"

"Vulpecula." Celes did not look up from her task. "A friend of Sir... the royal librarian gave her to me when I turned six. She's custom-made and everything."

"I see…" Sardonyx edged closer to get a better look at Vulpecula. "It seems a lot of care went into her appearance. I wouldn't mind having a doll like that."

Celes shot a wary glance at Sardonyx as she held Vulpecula close to her chest. "Why? Aren't you a little old to play with dolls?"

Sardonyx looked a bit hurt for a moment. She quickly shrugged it off. "You're right. I was simply being nostalgic. That's all."

The Void Triad had remained frozen near the entrance of the audience chamber. Agate looked reluctant to interrupt Sardonyx for any reason, Selenite looked too perplexed by Sardonyx's behavior to say anything at all, and Tourmaline was caught between being incensed at Celes for dominating Sardonyx's attention and not wanting to disrespect the Void Clan's leader. It fell to Agate to make the first move, lest he and his siblings be stuck like this forever.

Agate loudly cleared his throat as he stepped into the audience chamber. "Hey, uh, Lady Sardonyx? You did summon this guy and his sisters for _something_ , right?"

Sardonyx whispered something to Celes before returning to her throne. "There you are, my Void Triad." She was right back to being dignified and severe. "I have something to present you with. Consider it payment for services rendered."

Sardonyx's words were enough to make Tourmaline forget her offense at Celes' presence and worries over her connection to her boss for a moment. She all but dashed towards Sardonyx before genuflecting before the Void Clan's leader, eliciting a shared glance between her brother and sister, who nevertheless followed closely behind.

"Thank you, Lady Sardonyx." Tourmaline said. "Your generosity truly knows no bounds."

"You flatter me, Tourmaline." There was the tiniest ghost of a smile on Sardonyx's lips as she gazed upon the Void Triad. Her shadow seemed more interested in Celes, who was pouting over losing Sardonyx's attention. "Now - offer me your crystals once more."

Just as before, the Void Triad extended their hands with the gem inset into the back towards Sardonyx. She muttered something under her breath as her forehead gem pulsed with dark violet energy, before a bit of said energy leapt into the gems on the siblings' hands. And just as before, the process seemed to cause Sardonyx a bit of pain, albeit less than before. She needed a moment to recover before she spoke again, but she was nowhere near as drained as last time.

The Void Triad rose to their feet and took in the sight of their crystals, which now shined a bit more brightly and swirled internally with more dark energy than before.

"This should allow you to create stronger Utsuroids." Sardonyx said. "And who knows? Perhaps it might even allow you to finally defeat Pretty Cure."

That was enough to make Celes quit pouting. "Lady Sardonyx!" she said indignantly as she sprang to her feet. She crossed her arms in irritation. Vulpecula, who floated beside her, followed her lead. "Why are you leaving that to those three? Aren't I your 'most valuable playing piece' or whatever it was?"

"Don't flatter yourself." Tourmaline informed Celes. "We three are more than capable of defeating Pretty Cure. Just a bit more, and Selenite and I would have easily crushed them."

Selenite's eyes flickered towards the ground at her sister's 'would have'. It didn't seem that Tourmaline was over her forcing the two of them to retreat during their last fight.

"What a lousy excuse." Celes shot back. "If that stupid bodyguard hadn't gotten in my way, Pretty Cure would be finished! And… _and_ I'm the trump card in Lady Sardonyx's plans. She's said so herself. What are you three compared to that?"

"Run your mouth all you want." Tourmaline fixed Celes with the coldest stare she could manage. "At the end of it, you're still a child. A child who is nothing without her magic."

Agate caught Tourmaline by the shoulder. "And you're a teenager." he deadpanned. "Quit stooping to the child's level."

Tourmaline pulled away from Agate, fixing her brother with an icy glare. "Don't tell me what to do!"

"What do you mean 'stooping to my level'?" Celes snapped as she rounded on Agate. "Just because I'm younger than her-"

That was Selenite's cue to plant herself in between Celes and Tourmaline. "There's no need to fight like this!"

"This has nothing to do with you!" Celes and Tourmaline chorused.

This was quite enough for Sardonyx. " _Silence_!" she snapped, the temperature in the room spiking slightly. Once Celes and the Triad were at attention, she continued. "Celes, you are to remain here until further notice." As Celes opened her mouth to protest, she added "That is _not_ a request. And Tourmaline-"

"Of course, I understand my role, Lady Sardonyx." said Tourmaline. "But... that aside, I _do_ have something interesting to report." No, she was not yet done trying to show the (hopefully self-proclaimed) 'valuable playing piece' up. Not in the _slightest_.

Sardonyx said nothing, but her attention was very obviously piqued, emboldening Tourmaline to explain further.

"The other day, I encountered an intriguing target." she said. "A girl whose Roaring Spark was both unusually bright and sealed off to me. I could see it, but I could not reach it."

"Oh… that girl. The one by the school gate, right?" Selenite tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. "I guess she closed her heart off or something?"

"It seems that way." Tourmaline replied. "If I get her to open her heart to me, I should be able to extract her Roaring Spark. And between the power it contains and the gift you have so generously given me, Lady Sardonyx…"

"...it would create a wellspring of negative energy." Sardonyx finished. Something behind her eyes gleamed hungrily as she spoke. "That would make quite the side project, Tourmaline. I anticipate the results."

"As you should, Lady Sardonyx." Tourmaline shot one last death glare at Celes, who responded by sticking her tongue out and pulling her lower eyelid down. " _My life for you._ "

And before anyone present could say anything more, Tourmaline was gone in a flash of blue light, leaving an upward gust of wind in her wake.

* * *

Irene Asahina stood near a tree on the outskirts of uptown Seizato. Her glasses glinted in the sunlight as she trained her gaze on a green and yellow budgie, which regarded her with keen eyes from his perch on one of the lower branches. Irene's blue eyes narrowed, and she took a deep breath as she readied the bird catching net in her hands, mentally counting down to three before she lunged forwards-

-and the budgie went fluttering away, just out of reach.

Irene's buried her face in her hands and gronaed in exasperation. "Piyo... how long are you gonna keep this up?" she groused, her voice muffled by her hands. "Stubborn little... hard-headed... ugh!"

Irene took a moment to seethe before she went back to looking for Piyo. He had fluttered to a tree a few yards away. It was like he was taunting her... but that was fine. That was okay. She would win in the end. And so, Irene advanced once more-

-only to be bowled over by a sudden gust of wind, sending her falling right onto her bottom.

Irene blinked several times in shock and hissed in pain as she instinctively looked around, making sure that no one had seen her fall like that. But there was no one here to point and jeer at her, not like at school. There was, however, a hand being extended in her direction. Irene didn't take it right away. This could be a trick, after all.

"Are you alright, Irene?"

It was that Yuu girl from the other day, Irene realized as she looked up at the other party. Her she could trust. A little. She still hesitated to take her hand... until she caught sight of Piyo. He was perched on Yuu's shoulder and looked as comfortable as could be. That was cause enough for Irene to allow Yuu to help her to her feet. She grimaced at how icy cold the other girl's hand was. Not that she would say anything about that, even if she could.

Irene withdrew her notepad from the pocket of her cargo shorts and quickly jotted down a message 'Thanks for catching Piyo. You're good with birds, Yuu.'

"I guess." Yuu said nonchalantly, even as she scratched Piyo affectionately on the chin. "Is he yours?"

Irene shook her head. 'Auntie's' she wrote. 'She owns a pet store down this road. Piyo is kind of its mascot. He is also a butt who flew out of his cage and out the door when I was cleaning it.' She made sure to underline 'butt' several times. 'Glad I didn't have to use the net' she added. 'It makes birds feel trapped and scared. But you knew that, right?'

"Naturally." Yuu replied flippantly.

'Just as I expected' Irene wrote. The young girl was staring past Yuu as she wrote. There were numerous birds perched in the trees nearby, regarding the two girls with keen eyes. When did they get here? 'I'd kill to be that good with them'.

Yuu did a small double take at Irene's choice of phrasing. "I didn't think it was _that_ special. But... thanks? Both of you?" That last bit was directed towards Piyo, who was affectionately cuddling up to Yuu. "Should I head back with you?"

'I don't think you have a choice' Irene wrote. 'But that's fine. I want to learn more about you anyway. You seem interesting.'

"What a coincidence." Yuu said. "I feel the same way about you, Irene."

For a moment, Yuu managed to lock eyes with Irene, who was scrutinizing the older girl's face for any sign of insincerity... and then the younger girl broke eye contact and hurried away, quickly enough to put a fair distance between herself and Yuu but not quickly enough for Yuu to fall too far behind her, provided she kept up a decent pace.

A malicious smile played on Yuu's lips as the birds in the area broke into a cacophony of chatter. And then they were off, taking wing into the sky as Yuu took off after her quarry. Yes... this really wouldn't be hard at all.

* * *

Nanami did not want to be alone. She wanted nothing more than to be comforted. But it couldn't be about what Nanami wanted. She had exhausted her allotment of selfishness last night, and now, she had to swallow back any misery that remained, both because she was the hope of Illuster, and because, well…

...if Celes was at the root of all of this, then, in a sense, everything that had happened to Illuster had been her fault. Even if she was no authority to Celes, she was still responsible for her. And because that was the case, she didn't deserve to trouble Kohaku and Sirius any further.

So Nanami smiled and laughed and reassured Kohaku that she would be fine by herself while she and Robin jogged around Seizato and did a bit of sparring together. And Nanami tried to seem unworried about Sirius once they announced their intention to go off hunting for the other two Medallions. And Nanami bit back the urge to cry as sat at one of Shooting Star's tables with a novel she had checked out the other day and tried to concentrate on a page that wanted to constantly blur.

As Nanami futilely tried to focus on the content of her book, Tsubasa set a cup and saucer at her table. Said cup was filled with a mocha latte, which sported latte art of a starry sky.

"Don't worry - it's on the house." Tsubasa said. "Hopefully, this'll hep a little?"

"Thank you." Nanami set aside her book. "But I shouldn't be troubling you further, after everything with Celes. I'm sorry."

"If I did this voluntarily, it's not troubling me, is it?" Tsubasa asked.

Nanami looked down at her hands. "I suppose not. But…"

Tsubasa laid a gentle hand on Nanami's shoulder. "Look. I have the sales receipts, and that wasn't really my money to begin with. And all of the damage to Shooting Star reversed itself with your Pretty Cure magic, or however that business works? _I'm_ fine. I'm worried about _you_ , Nanami."

"There's no need to be worried about me." Nanami said. "Certainly, I'm a bit rattled, but-"

"There's no one in the world who'd be just 'a bit rattled' after that." Tsubasa said. "If there's anything I can do-"

"There's nothing." Nanami lied. "Just knowing that you care is enough." As if that would bring Celes back. As if that would undo Illuster's fate. "I'll be alright."

Several customers arrived before Tsubasa could debate Nanami further. As she headed towards the counter she looked over her shoulder and added "Look… as one big sister to another? Get some fresh air. Do something productive. Find some friends to hang out with. Anything that isn't sitting here and brooding. Sounds a little callous, but it really can help."

And Tsubasa was caught up in filling coffee orders, and Nanami was left with the latte that Tsubasa had given her. She… really didn't feel like drinking it, but it would be wrong to just reject something as thoughtful as this, so she made her best effort to enjoy it. It did help a little bit.

Halfway into said latte, Nanami got out her phone and texted Amane. Tsubasa was right. She really needed to do something productive. Better that than sitting here feeling sorry for herself and needlessly worrying Tsubasa. At least that way she could be useful to someone.

* * *

Irene and Yuu attracted a fair amount of staring as they headed to the pet store Irene's aunt worked at, between the bird-catching net Irene was still hauling around and Piyo, who was still comfortably perched on Yuu's shoulder. Yuu didn't care one whit about the stares she was attracting, but Irene was another story. The young girl seemed to fold further into herself the more she was stared at. Eventually, she froze up long enough for Yuu to catch up to her. She spent the rest of the way clinging to the older girl's arm.

The pet store in question was a rather inauspicious-looking building in uptown Seizato. A multicolored sign sporting the name 'Rainbow Connections' and featuring two human figures playing with a dog and cuddling with a cat hung above. There were a few people idling outside with their dogs in tow. Irene took a moment to offer some very quietly mumbled greetings to the dogs. She refused to make eye contact with their owners.

Yuu's eyes widened as she entered Rainbow Connections alongside Irene. It was like a small animal sanctuary in here. The building was quite well laid out for a small pet store, with an impressive selection of treats and toys bedecking the shelves and stands throughout. There were a few spacious tanks with various reptiles, a sizable fish tank, a large rabbit hutch, and a sizable cat kennel. Several people were browsing the store with their animals in tow. A woman in her forties with reddish-brown hair pulled into a side plait was sitting at the front counter.

"Welcome back, Irene!" the woman called. "And… oh my." she added as she noticed Yuu and Piyo. "What a way to bring Piyo back."

"…hi, Auntie." Irene said as she and Yuu approached the counter. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Hello." Yuu said flatly. Her emotionless demeanor and cold stare were clearly unnerving Irene's aunt. She didn't care. Once Irene motioned towards the generously-sized bird cage near the back of the counter, Yuu nodded and opened the door, allowing Piyo to hop off her shoulder and back inside. "There. And no more worrying Irene like that."

"I'm Chiasa Asahina, by the way." Irene's aunt said, once Yuu had made sure that Piyo was properly situated and at ease. "Are you a friend of Irene's?"

"Yuu Hoshikawa." Yuu replied, her eyes flicking towards Irene, who was already at work straightening up the store displays, before she turned her attentions back to Chiasa, taking a moment to investigate the woman's heart. Her Roaring Spark was… disappointingly ordinary. "Irene and I just met. But we do get along well."

"It's still nice to see." Chiasa said. Her Roaring Spark grew perceptibly brighter as she spoke. Interesting. She lowered her voice before adding "Irene has been so lonely since she came to Japan. So this is a reassuring sight. Please take good care of her."

Chiasa busied herself with work, leaving Yuu left to stare awkwardly after Irene. Already, the young girl was hard at work tidying everything in the store up, in between silently guiding customers towards different shelves or stands. She needed to get Irene to trust her, but how? God, she was clueless. In many respects, Yuu was the stronger twin, but socially? Even Pretty Cure, stupid as they were, didn't seem to trust her entirely. She needed to go about this like Tsukiko would, but…

Chiasa approached Yuu, saving her from more contemplating. "Would you mind helping out? It's one of our peak business days, the employee who was supposed to be here called out sick, and it wouldn't be fair to leave this all to Irene. No pressure, mind! I wouldn't want to keep you from your schoolfriends!"

"Schoolfriends?" Yuu said. "I don't have any. You're not keeping me from anything."

"I… I see." Chiasa said awkwardly. "Anyway, I have a short list I need you girls' help with. I'll find some way to compensate both of you."

"It's fine." Yuu said. "Just being able to help Irene is worth it."

That last bit sounded sincerer – and earned a genuine look of approval from Irene. In a sense, it was. Just… not for the reasons Chiasa probably hoped for.

So Yuu was sent to work. She ushered people into Rainbow Connections, she helped Irene attend to the animals' needs, and she organized store inventory with Chiasa. Each task was carried out with razor-sharp efficiency. But judging by the way that Chiasa and Irene were regarding Yuu as she worked, there was something she was doing incorrectly.

Finally, Chiasa pulled Yuu gently aside after the green-haired girl had ushered another customer into the store with all the warmth and grace of a block of ice. "Yuu, I don't mean to be a nag, but could you smile a little more? You're… a little intense, and it's making the customers nervous."

"Is that so?" Yuu responded coolly. Part of her wanted to tell Chiasa that the customers needed to get over it… but then she saw how less than impressed Irene looked with her. After a moment, Irene scrawled out a 'Please?' on her notepad. That was enough to make Yuu concede. "Alright. Sorry. I didn't realize." Yuu tried her best to assume her best approximation of a friendly smile. It was… not particularly noticeable, let alone sincere-looking. "Better?"

Irene shook her head, as Chiasa made a soft noise of disapproval under her breath.

"Sorry, that's not quite it." Chiasa said. "Maybe try something a bit friendlier-looking?"

Yuu bit back the urge to snap at Chiasa. "I'll try."

As another customer approached the entrance of Rainbow Connections, Yuu ushered her inside and offered her an incredibly plastic-looking and unsettlingly wide grin. The sheer fakeness of her expression was accentuated by the fact that Yuu's eyes were not smiling. Suffice it to say, it didn't help. The woman sharply averted her eyes and hurried past Yuu, who was still maintaining what could best be described as an un-smile.

If Irene looked disapproving before, she looked mildly terrified now. 'Not like that!' she wrote angrily on her notepad. 'You look like a mannequin that's about to kill somebody!'

" _Irene!_ " Chiasa snapped reproachfully.

Irene gave her aunt her best _well, she does_ sort of look before she pulled aside Yuu, who had since gone back to being blank-faced. 'You don't have to like people' she wrote. 'I don't. But it's important to make them feel welcome'.

Yuu stared quizzically at Irene. "I don't get it." she said quietly. "And I can't fake friendliness anyway."

'That's because you're not putting emotion behind it' Irene wrote. 'If you think of something that makes you happy and keep it on your mind, it's easier. Or you can just pretend you're addressing the animals instead. That's what I do.'

And then Irene hurried off to attend to another customer, leaving Yuu to wonder what made her happy. Under normal circumstances, she would think of her sister, but she was still upset at Tsukiko for the events of last night. Her brother? _Eh_. The animals on Earth? Getting warmer. So that left Sardonyx… and that worked wonderfully. The pride she felt whenever Sardonyx smiled at her, the happiness she would feel once she brought Sardonyx's ideal world about… now that had a genuine smile on Yuu's face.

Everything went more smoothly from there, at least for a time. Yuu still felt horribly fake, but judging by the reactions of Irene, Chiasa, and the customers, she was doing fake very well. Before too long, she was able to carry out a few tasks around Rainbow Connections without having to look to Irene and Chiasa for help and being genuinely showered with thanks from customers. Being thanked felt strange, and Yuu was not sure if she liked it, but Irene clearly cared, so she'd try to seem appreciative.

And then Chiasa's phone had gone off. She asked the two girls to let the customers know that she would be with them shortly before she hurried towards the store's storage in the back. Unfortunately, as Yuu quickly discovered once she had finished checking the rabbit hutch, that wasn't good enough for the customers. In Chiasa's absence, they had begun to swarm Irene, and none of them looked particularly happy with the girl.

"Excuse me, where is the store owner?"

"Is this seriously all the help you have here?"

"You don't have any of the treats Yuki-chan likes! When are you going to get those back in stock?"

"Answer me when I speak to you!"

At first, Irene's mouth had worked silently as the young girl had looked frantically from customer to customer and then finally towards Yuu in a silent cry for help, but by the time Yuu had hurried to her side, the girl had seemed to short-circuit. She sunk to the floor, holding her knees to her chest as she began to rock back and forth and hyperventilate. That was Yuu's cue to turn on the crowd, her expression cold and emotionless once more.

"What is wrong with you all?" she asked flatly.

"I'm not going to let a child speak to her elder like that." one of the men responded. "Go get your manager. Now."

"Would the manager approve of a child's elders bullying her?" Yuu shot back. "Disgusting. All of you."

Irene said nothing, but her breathing had calmed very slightly, and Yuu could sense her looking up at her out of the corner of her eye for a moment.

Even if Yuu's actions won her approval from Irene, they were having quite the opposite effect on the customers, who grew much more agitated. Every one of them looked ready to go off on Yuu and likely would have, had Chiasa not returned, the color draining from her face the moment she saw the state Irene was in.

"My apologies!" she told the agitated customers as she dropped into a bow of apology. "I will be with you all shortly!" Then, to Yuu "Please take Irene outside. I'll be with you when I can."

Yuu felt no need to argue. She didn't want to be around these lousy excuses for humanity anymore anyway. So, she offered a hand to Irene once more – it took a moment for the girl to recover enough to take it, but once she did, she clung to Yuu like a limpet as both girls slipped out of Rainbow Connections.

* * *

Nanami usually dashed to Seizato's public library with a spring in her step. Every library was a magical place for her and getting to spend time browsing its selection with Amane while they attended to library committee duties together should have made the experience even more fun. But right now, no library in existence could negate the misery she felt.

Amane was not alone when Nanami caught up with her in the children's section. Tsukiko was accompanying the class representative. The two girls chattered quietly as they browsed the picture books on display, only to grow quiet once they sensed Nanami's approach.

"There you are!" Amane beamed at Nanami. "Tsukiko and I were beginning to wonder when you'd show up!"

"Hello, Nagisa-san." Tsukiko said. "I just happened to run into Yamaguchi-san here, and it turned out you two were doing library committee work? Funny how that worked out."

"It certainly is." Nanami offered the pair her best fake smile. "Now, shall we get started?"

"What are we getting started on anyway?" Tsukiko asked.

"Oh, right, I probably should explain that." Amane said. "The library committee likes to organize meetings to read to kids. Sometimes, we have reading circles here, sometimes we travel to the elementary school in the area. Right now, we're planning to read books to the kids at Seizato General's pediatrics ward."

Tsukiko regarded Amane quizzically. "We're visiting a house of the sick? That sounds depressing."

"I don't think it is at all!" Nanami said. "I find it really heartening, being able to comfort those who are hurting. It might be distressing to see others in pain, but if you can help them even a little, it really does make a difference."

"Does it?" Tsukiko replied.

"That's the general idea, yes." Amane said as she returned to browsing the library's selection. "So, we should pick out some good material to read. Stuff that will make them smile. We can't cure them, but we can give them hope."

"Is giving others hope that important?" Tsukiko asked, even as she joined Amane and Nanami in browsing. As both girls nodded in the affirmative "Huh. If you say so." She was quiet for a few moments longer, clearly deep in thought. As Amane headed over to a nearby bookshelf, she added "Where's your little sister, Nagisa-san? This seems like a place she'd love."

Nanami's hand froze mid-book selection as she met Tsukiko's eyes. "Oh, she's..." Keep face. She doesn't need to know. "She returned home. It... didn't work out."

"So soon?" Tsukiko asked. "Did she get sick or something?"

Nanami went back to browsing the library's selection. After a moment or two of silence, she spoke again. "Tsukiko... do you and Yuu ever argue?"

Tsukiko stared at Nanami, feeling something catch a little in her chest at the question. There was a time she would have readily said 'no', because she went along with everything Yuu told her to do, so there was never any reason for them to argue. But at present...

 _"Why did you have us retreat, Selenite?!" Tourmaline demanded. "Just a little more and we would have won! Do you not care about pleasing Lady Sardonyx!"_

 _"Just a little more, and we would have been destroyed!" Selenite fired back. "Do you not care about our safety?"_

 _Tourmaline said nothing in response, but the cold glare she fixed her twin sister with had Selenite's resolve crumbling._

 _"Tourmaline..." Selenite said quietly, her tone deflating. "It's not that I don't respect Lady Sardonyx... or don't trust your judgment, but..."_

 _"Could have fooled me, with how you've been acting." Tourmaline sniffed. And then she stormed off, leaving Selenite to look down at the floor._

Part of Tsukiko really wanted to tell Nanami the truth. But that would help Nanami's emotional state, and Tsukiko was not here to help. That was not why she had become Tsukiko in the first place. She would do well to remember that.

"No." Tsukiko said. "Yuu and I never argue. In the end, we are always on the same page." As she took note of Nanami's clearly disheartened body language, she added "It's because we always understand each other's feelings. Maybe it's a twin thing?"

"Maybe that's why." Nanami said, more to herself than to Tsukiko. "Because I failed to understand her feelings, she..." She had to stop herself there, because she was feeling her voice begin to catch and her eyes beginning to sting, and that was the opposite of what she needed to let happen right now.

Tsukiko stared in faux concern at Nanami. "Nagisa-san? Is something wrong?"

"Nanami? Are you okay?" Amane asked as she hurried to Nanami's side.

"Everything's alright!" Nanami said as she offered Amane and Tsukiko what felt like an even more forced smile. It didn't seem like they entirely bought it. That was fine. Just as long as they didn't press the issue. "Now come on, everyone - let's all pick out something great!"

"Alright!" Tsukiko said. A malicious smile played on her lips once Nanami and Amane looked away.

* * *

It took a long time for Irene to recover after the incident back in Rainbow Connections. Yuu didn't really understand what was going on with the young girl, but that didn't matter. She just had to look like she understood.

Yuu's lip twitched as she watched Irene's Roaring Spark shimmer and pulse even more brilliantly than before. Her heart was welling with annoyance and… something else. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. It probably didn't matter.

Chiasa had poked her head out of the store several times to make sure Irene was alright, but she only stepped outside to address the two girls once Irene had stabilized. She was deeply apologetic at leaving Irene and Yuu alone, if less than amused by Yuu's behavior.

Yuu still didn't like Chiasa much. But her Roaring Spark was shining more brilliantly by the moment, so she was worth paying attention to. Maybe she could be the first test subject for Sardonyx's most generous gift.

"Sorry about all of that." Yuu said as she and Irene wandered uptown Seizato, numerous birds flocking around the area as the girls went on their way. "Not sorry about what I told them, though. They deserved every bit of it. This is why I dislike people."

Irene nodded before pulling out her notepad. 'We're alike. We hate people and love animals. Maybe that's why I was drawn to you back there.'

"Maybe." As Yuu spoke, several birds landed at her feet. She smiled thinly before nodding, prompting them to perch on her shoulders. "Animals are much easier to understand."

Irene's glasses glinted with interest as she watched the display in front of her. 'They aren't deliberately cruel either. They don't hurt others for being different. Not like people.'

"Mmm." Yuu replied. She continued on her way, Irene falling in alongside her. The birds came along for the ride. "And this is why emotions are wasted on humans. Imagine how much needless cruelty in the world would-"

Irene grabbed Yuu by the arm before the older girl could finish her sentence. The young girl shook her head firmly before vigorously jotting something down on her notepad.

'You're wrong. There are plenty of people who care for animals. And there are many animals who wouldn't survive if people didn't care about them. You shouldn't wish for that.'

Yuu stared at Irene's message. Something about it made some tiny bit of her heart twist just a little bit, but there was no point in paying that much mind. In the end, Irene was the one who was wrong. Once the emotions, dreams, and willpower of humans vanished, those of animals would soon follow. They would be safe and frozen forever alongside all of humanity, the ones who did care for animals included. So, it would be fine in the end, wouldn't it?

'Animals didn't do anything, so it wouldn't be right to take the humans they depend on away from them' Irene added. 'That's just what I think. Sorry.'

"There's no need to apologize, Irene." Yuu said. "I just never thought of it that way."

And after Sardonyx had created her ideal world, Yuu would never think of it that way again. Even if Irene's words held truth, only the will of Sardonyx mattered. The frozen Kingdom of Crystals was beautiful. The frozen kingdom they now lived in was beautiful. The frozen Earth would be beautiful. Because Sardonyx found it beautiful.

Before either girl could say anything more, Yuu's attention was drawn by two people - Tsukiko and Nanami, both of whom were chatting idly as they held small stacks of picture books to their chests. So that was what her sister had been up to.

"Oh, hello, Tsukiko!" Yuu said. "Having fun?"

Tsukiko froze in her tracks, looking as confused at Yuu's sudden friendliness as Nanami did at the numerous birds seated on Yuu's shoulders, which took wing shortly afterward, before she seemed to understand the angle her sister was using.

"Of course I am!" Tsukiko chirped. "I love the library committee! Don't you, Nagisa-san?"

"I suppose so." Nanami said absently. Her gaze was focused on Irene, who was trying to hide behind Yuu. "What are you up to, Yuu? And who might that be?"

"Oh, me?" Yuu replied. "I was just helping Irene here out at her aunt's store. The two of us were taking a break, but we're heading back shortly. If that's alright with Irene, of course."

Irene nodded, even as she made more of an effort to hide herself behind Yuu.

"Oh, I see." Nanami said. "I'm very glad you're making friends, Yuu."

"Are you?" Yuu scoffed internally at the notion of Irene being anything other than a means to an end. "I suppose we get along alright for relative strangers." As Irene nodded stiffly, she added "I guess she appreciates reliable big sisters."

"I'm glad." Tsukiko said. Some part of her was happy that Yuu's plan was proceeding well despite her sister's… ineptitude in this department. Another part felt a bit uncomfortable. How strange. "You must really understand each other's feelings."

And then Yuu took off, Irene lingering close by. She looked over her shoulder a few paces in, clearly trying to see if she and Tsukiko's words had the desired effect on Nanami. And indeed, they did. The princess looked as if she had been punched in the stomach, even if she was clearly trying to hide that her behind a veil of polite neutrality.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Tsukiko asked, as she watched her sister depart. "You really do look a little sick, Nagisa-san."

Nanami shook her head. "It's nothing you need worry about, Tsukiko." she said. "I'm happy to see Yuu getting along with Asahina-san's sister like that. I really am."

That was right. It didn't hurt at all. It didn't make her jealous at all. As if she really had a right to such feelings.

* * *

When Yuu and Irene returned to Rainbow Connections, they were met with a rather unexpected guest - Hisao. He was scrutinizing a ball python, which was lounging half on and half off a branch in its enclosure, as if said snake was one of the most fascinating things he had ever seen in his life. He held a disposable cup of coffee, which bore Shooting Star's logo in his hand.

"Catching up with your cousin, Hisao?" Yuu deadpanned the moment she noticed her brother.

" _Hilarious_ , Yuu." Hisao deadpanned right back. "No, the little princess kicked me out. Said she was tired of almost tripping over me, and that I should do something productive."

Yuu stared incredulously at her brother. "The child kicked you out."

"Well, yeah. Didn't feel like arguing. Too much effort." Hisao said nonchalantly. For a moment, he considered telling the truth - that Sardonyx had ordered him to leave after Celes had complained, but. Nah. Not the best idea, with how Yuu was. Instead, he gestured loosely towards Irene, who was now engaged in hushed conversation with her aunt. "How's it going with your target... or _targets_ , from the look of it?"

"Progress is being made." Yuu said. "Don't get in my way."

"Hey, I had no choice that time - did you want your identities compromised?" Hisao shot back. "Or to mess with _her_? Man, this guy's chest hurts just thinking about it."

Before Yuu could answer Hisao with another snide comment, two new customers stepped into Rainbow Connections. "Welcome!" she said cheerfully before she registered who the newcomers were - Tsukiko and Nanami. "Oh? Don't you two have library committee work?"

"We do." Tsukiko said. "But I was curious about this place." And about how Yuu was conducting her little side mission, but that didn't need saying. Not that Tsukiko spared too much thought on that, given the presence of the rabbit hutch. "Oh my gosh…" She looked as enthralled by the rabbits' presence as the rabbits did hers. "Nagisa-san! Look at the rabbit family!"

"They do look quite cute." Nanami said absently. She put up little resistance when Tsukiko grabbed her by the hand and led her over to the rabbit hutch.

Irene walked over to Yuu, having finished her exchange with Chiasa. 'Friends of yours?' she wrote.

"Nagisa-san is my classmate." Yuu replied. "Tsukiko and Hisao are my older brother and younger twin sister."

"Yo." Hisao pulled his attention away from the reptile displays to offer Irene a quick wave of greeting.

'So, you're a little sister too.' Irene wrote. 'One more thing we have in common. I like that.' As for Hisao, she hesitated markedly, her gaze briefly flitting towards Yuu, before she wrote 'Your sister is cool. She's great with animals. Especially birds. It's like she's one herself' and showed her notepad to Hisao, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the floor the entire time.

Hisao took a very long chug from his coffee cup, wincing visibly as he swallowed it, before he spoke. "That's, uh. Very kind of you. You take good care of Yuu for me, you hear?"

"Excuse me, Irene, Yuu?" Chiasa called. That was Yuu's cue to mutter a 'see you later' to her brother before heading over to speak with Chiasa, Irene in tow. "How would you two feel about visiting the zoo tomorrow? We can go out for ice cream while we're there, and I don't mind picking up something at the gift shop for you two. I owe you that much, after everything."

Irene's eyes lit up. 'Please go with me! I love the zoo! It's one of my favorite places! You need to see the bird exhibit. You'll love it, Yuu.'

"Naturally, it's a 'yes'." Yuu said. She had her little fish baited, just needed to reel her in further. "You had me at 'bird exhibit."

Moments after Yuu had spoken, Hisao slipped out of Rainbow Connections, and two more people entered. Well, three, technically - Sirius, Kohaku, and Robin. The two girls wore exercise clothing and looked to have exerted themselves a fair amount over the course of the day, and judging by the librarian's heavy panting, they had been doing a fair amount of running around themselves.

"Hello, Kohaku." Nanami tried to sound as normal as possible. "Have you had fun today?"

Kohaku was in no mood to badger Nanami, even if she could tell something was wrong. "Yeah. It was a nice change of pace."

Sirius wasted no time in heading to Nanami's side. They said nothing, simply pushing their head under her free hand, allowing her to bury her fingers in their soft fur. The gesture prompted a mouthed 'thank you, Siri' from the princess.

"Oho, it was incredible! _Stupefacente!_ " Robin exalted loudly… before promptly turning her volume down at Chiasa's reproachful look. "Shishi-chi won every single one of our sparring matches. To defeat the sun so solidly… she really is a divine gift to the field of swordsmanship!"

"You're overselling me…" Kohaku muttered, burying her face in her hands.

"But! More importantly!" Robin added, before approaching Irene. "Reenie! How goes it? Work go alright? You getting along alright with Yuu-chi over there? Did you make it to class today? Did school go alright?"

Irene said nothing. She didn't have to. The way she shrank away from Robin's over-enthusiastic interrogation and pressed herself behind Yuu said everything.

"Maybe tone your… everything down a bit, Asahina-san?" Yuu coolly asked Robin. "You're Irene's big sister, right? Shouldn't you be more considerate?"

"If you say so, Yuu-chi!" Robin chirped. "Even the sun might shine a bit too brightly at times, I suppose!" She sounded jovial, but there was a bit of anger bubbling under the surface.

This was Chiasa's cue to step in, lest more drama end up brewing. "Robin, how would you feel about coming with us to the zoo tomorrow? It doesn't seem fair to leave my other niece out."

"I don't have a club meeting… or a date, since Yuzu's busy." Robin said. "So… _sì_ , auntie! If Nagi-chi, Shishi-chi, and Tsu-chi can come with? Seems unfair to leave them out."

"That would be quite a crowd." Chiasa's gaze traveled towards the girls she surmised Robin was speaking about, each of which did look fairly interested in Robin's proposal. "Would you be alright with that, Irene?"

Irene shrugged. 'Do what you want. I don't care.' she wrote before pocketing her notepad, tying her apron back on, and returning to work.

"That's fine." Robin chirped. "I don't care that you don't care. As long as you're happy." She looked as if she wanted to say something else, but instead, she distracted herself with Nanami, who was trying to look as interested in the rabbits as Tsukiko was and not at all upset by the nature of the exchanges she had been witnessing. "So... Nagisa-san! How goes it?"

As this went on, Yuu, who had headed to Piyo's cage to visit with the budgie, gritted her teeth in annoyance. So, this was what she was going to have to put up with for a while. Well, if it was for Sardonyx, she could endure anything. Hopefully.

* * *

It took a few hours before Kohaku and Nanami had a full conversation, once the Illuster refugees returned home. Part of Kohaku wanted to tell herself that she was merely giving her partner a proper amount of space, but some part of herself knew that yes, she was absolutely avoiding her for fear of not knowing what to say.

Sirius knew too, because after catching Kohaku standing at the end of the second-floor hallway and hesitating, they had pulled her aside with a quiet "Lady Nanami is out on the observatory balcony." When Kohaku still hesitated, Sirius added "It's truly, truly alright if you don't know what to say. I think just having you by her side means a great deal to Lady Nanami on its own."

That had emboldened Kohaku enough to go looking for Nanami. And indeed, she was standing on the spacious balcony outside of the observatory that topped Shooting Star. The observatory in question was locked, but there was a sizable telescope stationed here if one wanted to stargaze.

Nanami didn't seem terribly interested in that. She was leaning on one of the balcony rails and staring out into space. She had removed her glasses for the moment - and no wonder, given how red-rimmed her eyes were.

"Good evening, Nanami." Kohaku said as she joined her princess. "The stars really do look lovely tonight."

"They really do." Nanami replied absently. "The same starry sky that we saw back home."

The two girls stood side-by-side in silence for a few moments, watching the stars twinkling in the night sky before Kohaku spoke up again.

"Are you holding up alright? After… you know, after everything."

Nanami offered Kohaku a forced smile. "I am. As your princess, I need to keep looking forwards. There's no point in-"

Kohaku shook her head. "Nerissa, you don't have to lie to me. It's alright."

"Lying?" Nanami gave Kohaku her most clueless expression. Once it became clear that Kohaku wasn't buying any of it, she looked away from her partner. She was quiet for several moments before she spoke again. "Something must have happened to Celes. She's a good girl... she wouldn't just... there had to be some reason..." She began to tremble, as her eyes welled up with tears. "If I had been a better sister to her, then Illuster wouldn't-"

Part of Kohaku wanted to pull Nanami into her embrace and hold her for a while, but it didn't seem like that was what her partner needed. So instead, she gently laid her hand over Nanami's own, and that did seem to help her partner relax just a little bit.

"I'm sorry." Nanami smiled tearfully at Kohaku. "I'm doing it again. Burdening you with your feelings, when you have your own problems to deal with. When I'm supposed to be the hope of Illuster." She averted her gaze. "I have no business doing that."

"Aren't you the one who's always talking about how her status means nothing here?" Kohaku asked.

Nanami froze up momentarily. "That's… even if that is so, I promised to be the one who would support you, Amber, I promised to take on our burdens, I… I need to-"

"We're partners, Nerissa." Kohaku said. "Neither of us has to be the strong one. Neither of us has to be the one who depends on the other." She sighed, gazing out at the night sky. "It's hard for me to remember that sometimes. "Every time you get hurt, I can hear her insulting me for not protecting you. And you must feel guilty every time I get hurt."

"That is true." Nanami gave Kohaku's hand a gentle squeeze as she joined her partner in gazing up at the night sky. "I want to protect you. I wanted to protect all of you."

"As do I." Kohaku said. "And that's why we'll do it together, Nerissa. You're not alone, and I never want you to feel like you have to be."

"But Celes-" Nanami started.

"No matter what, we'll find a way to bring Celes back." Kohaku said. "We'll rescue her together. As partners."

"As partners…" Nanami echoed. The words felt a little hollow in her mouth. They didn't erase the guilt brewing in the back of her mind either. But… for right now, she would let herself believe them. Doing otherwise would worry Kohaku.

The two Cures spent a long time on the balcony together hand-in-hand, Nanami leaning slightly into Kohaku as the pair beheld the beautiful and very familiar starry sky spilling out before them like a twinkling tapestry.

* * *

Yuu hardly knew what zoos were, past what she could infer from Irene and Chiasa's comments. Or maybe she just didn't remember what zoos were. Ultimately, it didn't matter to her.

On the other hand, it clearly mattered a great deal to Irene. The girl had been bouncing up and down on her heels constantly from the moment she and the rest of the Asahina family had joined the twins, Nanami, and Kohaku at the bus station, and her usual stoic expression had been replaced by one of absolute rapture.

"Do you always get this excited about the zoo?" Yuu had asked Irene.

Irene had said nothing to Yuu's question, but the way she had bobbed her head up and down and bounced even more as the bus approached spoke volumes.

Yuu was not visibly excited. She made no attempts to appear as such. Robin, who kept stealing furtive glances in Yuu and Irene's direction in between her conversation with Kohaku, quite obviously was. Chiasa, who was wearing a camera on a strap around her neck, seemed tentatively hopeful about the whole experience.

And Tsukiko? As far as Yuu could tell, she cared as much about this affair as Yuu herself did. She was making small talk with Nanami about that library committee nonsense. Here was hoping she didn't forget her actual purpose in favor of that garbage.

Irene's excitement had only mounted once the group boarded the bus. Her eyes shined much more than usual as she watched the scenery outside the window, and once the bus arrived at its destination, she had to be stopped from bolting out of her seat and shoving past the passengers in a bid to be the first one off the bus.

"I know you're excited, but you need to be considerate." Chiasa said with the calm weariness of someone who had gone through this multiple times, even as she paid the entrance fee for the group. "There are plenty of other people who came to enjoy the zoo today as well, Irene."

Irene nodded absently… before leading Yuu off towards one of the nearby map kiosks with the authority of a girl on a mission.

"It's seeing Reenie gung-ho about _something_. And _someone_ \- lucky Yuu-chi." Robin said as she watched her younger sister silently consult with Yuu over one of the maps Her tone was a bit less sunny than usual. "Anyway!" she continued, tearing her gaze away from Yuu and Irene "Why the camera, auntie?"

"Oh, this little thing?" Chiasa said. "I thought it might be a nice way to make some memories this afternoon. Today seems like it'd be good for that."

"It does seem appropriate." Nanami said, even as she drank in her surroundings with curious eyes. "After all, this is my and Kohaku's first time visiting this place. It's yours as well, right, Tsukiko?"

Tsukiko, who had been busy staring after Yuu and Irene, jumped a bit. "Oh! Uh… yes, it would be." she said. "This does seem like a fun place…" She sighed wistfully before adding "You should take your sister here someday, Nagisa-san. I'm sure she'd enjoy it too."

Nanami's smile faltered a little. "Right… I'll definitely think about it."

That was Kohaku's cue to hurry to Nanami's side. "Hey, Tsukiko? Please don't bring up Nanami's sister right now. She's not someone she's comfortable discussing right now."

Tsukiko nodded absently. "Sorry, Nagisa-san." she said apologetically. "I'll try to keep that in mind."

Thankfully, Irene dispelled the threat of any further awkwardness ensuing for now. The young girl returned holding a foldable map of the zoo like it was the holy grail, a path carefully marked down on said map. 'Here we go!' she wrote on her notepad in much bolder and more defined writing than usual. 'This is the route we'll be taking!'

"Huh? Why not start at the bird sanctuary, Reenie?" Robin asked. "I thought you wanted to-"

"Obviously, she's saving the best for last." Yuu coolly informed Robin. "Maybe back off?"

Once Yuu had said her piece, Irene took off clearly meaning to guide the rest of the group through the zoo. Most of said group fell in behind Irene… except for Robin, who was trailing behind everyone else slightly, and Nanami, who couldn't help but notice.

"Asahina-san… I know you're trying your best as a big sister." Nanami said as she fell into step with Robin. Given the events of last night, she meant those words for herself as much as she did her upperclassman. "If you need to talk…"

Robin shook her head. "Oh no, Nagi-chi! I'm fine! Just… taking a bit of extra time to enjoy the scenery!" She shot a beaming smile at Nanami, and indeed, it looked very genuine, but… "Do you really think the sun would be down about anything? Especially when her little sister's making friends? _Niente affato_! Now, come on!"

And then Robin hit the ground running, forcing Nanami to try and keep pace with her.

* * *

Irene continued to take point as the group made their way through the zoo. The girl walked quickly enough to threaten to leave everyone behind as she guided everyone from exhibit to exhibit. Yuu had no problem matching her pace, and Chiasa confessed to the others that she was quite glad for that, given how close she had come to losing Irene here times before.

As the group visited each exhibit - from the monkey house to the elephant exhibit to the big cats' enclosure - Chiasa stopped to snap pictures. At first, she just solicited photographs of a beaming Irene and a significantly more subdued Yuu, but soon, the rest of the group was insistent on getting in on the action.

Before too long, Chiasa had captured plenty of new memories - Robin proudly mugging for the camera alongside the exhibits, shots of Nanami and Kohaku enjoying their first time at the zoo or getting looped into mugging for the camera alongside Robin, and after a fair amount of coaxing, the twins stiffly posing for a few photographs themselves, first on their own, and then with the rest of the group. Well, Yuu was stiff. Tsukiko became increasingly enthused about it despite herself.

Irene hadn't seemed anywhere near as enthused about taking 'some of those cute sister pictures' with Robin as she had been with Yuu, no matter how much her older sister cajoled and pleaded. This didn't escape Nanami, but given Robin's prior reaction, she decided not to press the issue.

Soon after the group had arrived at the reptile house, Irene had pulled Yuu aside.

'What are those two like?' she wrote, motioning towards Nanami and Kohaku. The former was reading the numerous information plaques and displays on the wall with the enthusiasm of a scholar discovering ancient ruins, while the latter looked on adoringly. 'Do you guys get along?'

Yuu stared at Irene in confusion. "Why do you care?"

Irene didn't respond for a few moments. Finally, she wrote. 'Just curious. You're choosy about humans too, right? So those two must be decent. That's all.'

Yuu suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. "I like them better than I like most people at my school." For a given measure of 'like'. "So, I guess you're right about that."

The petting zoo ended up being a longer stop in the group's journey than anticipated. Irene had to stop to visit personally with every sheep, goat, and pig, and Tsukiko's attention was quickly diverted by a nearby rabbit hutch.

Yuu remained blank-faced and disengaged from everything going on, from the animals, to the children, to her companions' and sister's antics, right until Irene showed her how to acquire food for the animals and introduced her to one of the sheep. Soon, Yuu had the ewe in question eating out of her hand. Intellectually, she shouldn't have cared about something like this that much, but…

...she found herself smiling a bit as the ewe finished her treat before gently butting her head against Yuu's arm. Yuu responded by burying her hand in the ewe's warm, fluffy wool and affectionately petting her. Soon, she was lost in fussing over the ewe, only to come crashing back down to Earth once she noticed Kohaku staring at her.

"I guess I misjudged you a bit, Yuu." Kohaku said. "When it comes to animals, you're really gentle. No wonder that girl latched onto you so hard."

Yuu stared disbelievingly at Kohaku, genuinely lost for words in the face of a compliment from her rival.

That was Tsukiko's cue to speak where her sister could not. "That's Yuu for you." she said as she reluctantly parted ways with the rabbits for now. "She might act harsh, but she is a caring person. I'm lucky to call her my sister."

She locked eyes with Nanami ont he last part. The princess, who was slightly overwhelmed at the attention she was getting from several goats - "Nagi-chi is quite popular!" Robin said as she took in the sight -might have pretended not to notice, but Tsukiko did notice her shift uncomfortably at that last bit.

For a moment, Yuu found her lip curling slightly in irritation… and then she noticed Nanami and Irene's eyes on her, and she promptly hurried to look more embarrassed than annoyed. "Oh well. I guess there's no getting anything past you." She sighed in mock-resignation, as she looked towards Irene. "Little sisters really are so perceptive."

Kohaku hurried to Nanami's side once her partner had freed herself from her 'admirers'. "Are you doing okay, Nanami?"

For a moment, Nanami seemed prepared to lie again, and then her shoulders slouched a bit. "I don't believe I am. I'm sorry."

She didn't notice the twin pairs of eyes boring into her once the group finally departed from the petting zoo, any more than Chiasa noticed those same pairs of eyes homing in on her heart.

* * *

And finally, the group arrived at what Irene had insisted was the crown jewel of the zoo - the bird sanctuary, a modest building with wide-arched windows which looked out at open-air habitats, where a wide variety of birds roamed

The sight was more than worth the wait, as far as Yuu was concerned. Her dull dark gold eyes held a bit more shine than normal as she took in the wide variety of birds. Many seemed drawn by or just curious about her presence and several of which came quite close to the glass to get a better look at her, eliciting some curious whispering from those around her. Yuu was equally fascinated by the birds, particularly the ones that Irene identified as peafowl.

Yuu was still staring intently at the peafowl going about their business when Chiasa approached her. "You're really enjoying this place, aren't you, Yuu?" she asked. Yuu didn't so much as turn to acknowledge her, but that didn't seem to deter her any. "Do they have anything like this back where you're from?"

For a moment, Yuu's memory was brought rushing back to a time not long after her revival, when she had been left to wander the remains of what she understood to be the Kingdom of Crystals. She thought of the eerily dead air, of the cold and motionless feathered bodies that laid on the ground of the forest she had aimlessly wandered through, of feeling a deep feeling of emptiness as she looked into their vacant eyes with her own, equally glassy ones.

And then Yuu thought of that kingdom, the one she now lived in. She thought of that lone owl from her first night there and how she had run across it a day or so afterward, how she had been able to pick it up like a toy, how she had shuddered involuntarily at how cold and dead it felt in her hands. She thought of those small moments beforehand, of finally understanding what birdsong was like, only to hear it dwindle gradually and then die out forever.

All of that was… very… good. Desirable. Because it was how Sardonyx wanted it.

"Not at all." Yuu said. "This has been really nice." But temporary and therefore, worthless. "They all look so lively." And they never would again, once Sardonyx enacted her wonderful plans for this world. "It's why I love birds." But not as much as she loved Sardonyx.

Yuu moved to catch up with the group… only for Chiasa to start after her. "Hey, Yuu?"

"Hm?"

"Really… thank you so much." Chiasa smiled warmly at Yuu. "I wasn't sure about you at first, but you really have been so good to Irene." As she spoke, she mouthed 'just give me a minute' at her niece, who was making a clear 'are you guys coming or not' motion towards the group. "I'm glad she found a kind-hearted girl like you."

And then Chiasa hurried off. As Yuu stared after her and into her heart, which was more than ready to harvest, she tightened her fist.

"Me? Kind-hearted?" she sniffed under her breath. "What a stupid woman."

Tsukiko was watching another bird feed its family with a wistful expression on her face once Nanami approached her.

"Are you doing okay, Tsukiko?" Nanami asked. "You've looked a little spaced-out."

Tsukiko looked at Nanami. Part of her wanted to tell her the truth – that she had been lying to her about how she was getting on with Yuu and that something about the way her sister was setting this girl up ate at her like acid – but it would be wrong of her to even think those things.

"Guess I'm a little tired." Tsukiko lied. "I stayed up all night thinking about the library committee matters. Do you think I'll do alright?" She looked over at Yuu, who was shooting a clear _get over here as soon as you can_ look in her direction. "I'm nowhere near as confident as Yuu is." She laughed nervously. "I usually just do whatever she tells me to."

"You'll do well." Nanami said. "I can't understand it myself, but I guess it's natural for a little sister to want to depend on her older one." Like Celes should have been able to, had she been better. "But… I think you're quite the remarkable person yourself, Tsukiko."

Kohaku motioned Nanami over, and that was the cue for Tsukiko, who bit back the urge of discomfort that Nanami's words had stirred in her, to reconvene with Yuu.

"It's about that woman, right?" she asked, her gaze flitting to Chiasa. "Are you…?"

"It should be me." Yuu stared at her right hand. "After all, I am her most loyal subordinate."

Tsukiko shook her head. "I don't think that's wise." She pushed herself to keep going despite the withering glance her twin shot her. "It might ruin your… side project. And if you 'save' her from me, you'll look more trustworthy." A pause. "That's what I think, anyway."

Yuu was stonily silent for a moment. But finally, she softened. "That makes a certain amount of sense." she said. "Then do it. But the next one is mine."

"Of course." Tsukiko said. "No matter what, I always want to support you." She clasped her twin's hand, partly to reassure Yuu, partly to ground herself. It was as ice-cold as her own, but she still felt energy buzzing inside of it, more so now, given the 'gift' the sisters had recently received. "We shall produce wonderful results for Lady Sardonyx."

"Yuu-chi, Tsu-chi!" Robin called after the twins. "Come on! Don't want to be left behind, do you?"

The twins glanced at one another before hurrying after the rest of the group.

* * *

"Would you kids like to visit the gift shop before we head home for the day?" Chiasa asked the group once they reconvened at the middle of the zoo.

Irene shook her head vigorously. "Can we stay longer?" she whispered to Chiasa. "I barely got to do anything."

"I wouldn't be averse to staying myself." Nanami said. "I do want to go back and read all of those displays. Only if it's alright with you, of course, Asahina-san."

"Nagi-chi and Reenie have the right idea!" Robin said. "Would it be alright if we split up for a little bit, auntie? We can meet back here in say… an hour or so?"

The twins smirked in unison at that one. These people were being incredibly useful idiots, and they didn't even suspect it.

Chiasa hummed worriedly… but the pleading glance Irene was shooting her pierced her defenses completely. "I suppose that's doable. I do owe you, Irene. But…"

"Don't worry." Irene whispered. "I'll be with Yuu. It's fine, auntie."

"I'll take good care of her, Asahina-san." Yuu flashed Chiasa a feigned friendly smile as Nanami and Kohaku, Robin, and Tsukiko all went their separate ways, before she let Irene lead her off in the direction of one of the food stands.

* * *

Under normal circumstances, Yuu would have shot down an offer of food from anyone. Eating was pointles for her, after all. But Irene had been insistent on the two of them splitting an ice cream sundae together and going along with what Irene wanted had seemed to work alright so far, so here she was.

The two ate in silence as they sat at one of the tables near the ice cream stand. Yuu did not know what to say, and Irene did not have free hands to write with. But as far as Yuu could tell, Irene was still enjoying her company despite the silence. And once she gazed into her heart, she discovered that there was the tiniest of hairline cracks in the sphere that surrounded Irene's Roaring Spark. Her shields were, indeed, beginning to lower.

Yuu sighed, half wistfully and half in annoyance as she watched the other humans milling about around them and listened to the birdsong that filled the air as several birds regarded her with curious eyes. She didn't care about these people. She didn't care about these animals. She didn't care about Irene. Only the mission. Only about pleasing Sardonyx. That was what this was all about in the end. Unlike her sister, she would never be in danger of forgetting that.

"Wonder what Tsukiko's up to." Yuu muttered. Had she followed through on what Yuu had so pragmatically entrusted her with? Or had she -

-and before Yuu could finish that thought, the sound of screaming sounded in the distance. There was her answer.

Irene snapped to attention at the sound of Chiasa's screams, her eyes widening in alarm. Before Yuu could stop her, she had bolted off towards the site of the noise.

"Irene!" Yuu shouted in what she hoped sounded like genuine fear and alarm before she too gave chase.

* * *

The center of the zoo had become a hubub of commotion. People in the area were frozen in panic and confusion, birds twittered in distress, and animals vocalized in fear as Chiasa struggled futilely against the circle of silver runes, which kept her stuck fast to the ground.

"Please... let me go!" she begged Selenite, who stood a few yards away, regarding her with blank silver eyes. "Tell me what you want, and I'll give it to you! Just... please, my nieces..."

"I'm very sorry, but letting you go isn't an option." Selenite bowed apologetically to Chiasa, even as she pushed down the discontent brewing in the pit of her stomach. "But you're right. You do have something I want."

Just then, Irene went barreling towards the area, Yuu following closely on her heels. The young girl's eyes widened in horror the very moment she saw Chiasa, but she did not freeze in terror like so many other people present. No, she picked a rock up from the ground and lobbed it towards Selenite with all the force she could manage. Selenite dodged expertly, but she was still clearly rattled by Irene's reaction.

As Irene went for another rock, Yuu caught her by the arm, shooting an apologetic glance at Selenite as she did so.

"Irene, that's enough!" she said. "We need to get out of here!"

Irene was not deterred. She struggled against Yuu's grip, even as Selenite extended her left hand towards Chiasa, the gem on its back glowing with far more intensity than it ever had before.

"Roaring Spark... come forth, please?"

As Chiasa screamed at the pain of her Roaring Spark being ripped out of her chest, Nanami and Kohaku dashed towards the scene. Both girls had their hands on their Roaring Compacts, and both looked as concerned with Yuu, who was struggling to keep Irene from launching herself at Selenite, as they were with Chiasa, who was swept up in a cocoon of dark energy that radiated much more malice and power than before.

"Don't worry - I'll take care of Irene." Yuu told Nanami and Kohaku.

'I can't' Irene mouthed as she continued to struggle.

"You have to!" Yuu said. "I won't forgive myself if you get hurt!"

That was argument enough for Irene. She allowed Yuu to lead her away from the scene, even if she was clearly reluctant about it.

Nanami readied her Roaring Compact as soon as Yuu and Irene were gone. "Let's go, Kohaku!"

Kohaku readied her Roaring Compact in turn. "Okay, Nanami!"

"Medal, set! Pretty Cure, Roaring Rebirth!"

"Guardian of the ocean that blooms with life! Blossom Knight, Cure Delphinus!"

"Guardian of the wind that sweeps through the plains! Tempest Knight, Cure Leo!"

"The two of us are Pretty Cure!" Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo chorused.

"Those who cruelly meddle with the hearts of others-" Cure Leo said, pointing a finger at Selenite.

"We'll put a stop to your actions at once!" Cure Delphinus said, following suit.

Selenite, who had positioned herself in a nearby tree, quizzically tilted her head in the wake of Pretty Cure's speech. "Will you really? We leveled up, you know."

Before Delphinus or Leo could ask Selenite what she meant by that, the cocoon of dark energy dissipated to reveal a pitch black Utsuroid that looked like a cross between a cockatrice and a camera. Its form was mostly avian in design, but the plumage on its wings and tail was made from photo film, and its head was a digital camera, above which sat two empty gold eyes and a silver gem, which was now trimmed with gold. As negative energy rose up off it in waves, the remaining civilians in the area collapsed as they too gave off negative energy.

"Irene… my precious Irene!" the Utsuroid cried as it spread its wings outward. The moment it did so, the film that comprised said wings snaked outwards in both directions, lashing violently towards Delphinus and Leo. Both Cures dodged and wove out of the way of the assault, Delphinus firing blasts of water and Leo utilizing her energy swords to keep the strips of film at bay. "I want to keep her safe and happy! I want both of my girls safe and happy! They're all I have left to love!"

"So, these are the feelings you took advantage of this time." Leo said as she cleanly sliced through a section of the Utsuroid's wing, stunning it just enough for Delphinus to catch it across the side with a blast of water. "Using her love for her nieces to harm others… how vile."

Selenite shrugged nonchalantly at the accusation… even if some part of her did wince a little at the sound of it. "If you say so…"

As Delphinus and Leo forced the Utsuroid to withdraw its wings, both nodded to one another before springing upwards, attempting to aim a high-pressure torrent of water and a leaping slash at the gem on its forehead. Before either could land their attacks, it fired a flurry of flechettes made from photo film at them, forcing both to engage shields to deflect the assault. The two touched down on the ground in a shower of pink and orange sparkles before searching for a better opening to attack.

"Oh… you're doing better than expected against this Utsuroid." Selenite clasped her hands together admiringly as Delphinus and Leo struggled to fight their way through the Utsuroid's defenses, only for it to expertly fend them off at every turn. "Not bad for a girl who couldn't help her sister."

Selenite's words had the desired effect. Delphinus froze up momentarily, allowing the Utsuroid to expertly slap her out of the air with one wing. She was sent flying, landing heavily at the base of a nearby tree.

"Delphinus!" Leo cried as she rushed to her partner's side. "Are you alright?"

"Yes…" Delphinus said, mentally kicking herself for being so easily baited as she allowed Leo to help her to her feet.

"I will preserve this precious day forever!" the Utsuroid crowed as the lens on its camera focused in on Delphinus and Leo and began to glow. "I'll never let it go!"

Delphinus and Leo instinctively dodged the ensuing blast of light from the camera. It was not a moment too soon - the tree they had been standing in front of turned to solid rock the moment it was hit. It continued firing blasts at the two Cures, who scrambled to dodge the barrage, petrifying park benches, fallen civilians, drinking fountains, and any birds unlucky to get out of the way of the blast in time.

"This must be what she meant by 'leveling up'." Leo muttered, gritting her teeth as she sidestepped another blast from the Utsuroid's camera.

Delphinus frantically scrambled to avoid getting petrified. "They really are serious about defeating us."

Delphinus' attempt at dodging the camera's blast brought her just close enough to Selenite, who summoned her mallet as she leapt down out of the tree. As Selenite descended, she swung her mallet downwards, creating a sparkling shockwave, which Delphinus was forced to leap upwards to avoid. This put her right in the path of another blast from the Utsuroid's camera... or it would have, had Leo not drawn its attention.

Not that this gave Delphinus much room to breathe. The second Leo diverted the Utsuroid, Selenite sent a flurry of light-charged blows her way, forcing the pink Cure to focus on parrying her blows and keeping her from joining her partner in fighting the Utsuroid.

"See? No matter how hard you fight, we'll always become stronger in the end." Selenite said as Delphinus struggled to deflect her blows and get in ones of her own. "So, why keep struggling?"

Delphinus grimaced as she fought, mentally praying that Leo could hold up until she had disengaged from Selenite. "No matter how powerful you become, we won't give up! Our hearts shine too brightly to be daunted!"

"Oh?" said Selenite as she and Delphinus broke away from one another and stared each other down. She was keenly aware that the Utsuroid had lost interest in Leo and was training its sights on Delphinus. "If you showed your sister that spirit, maybe she wouldn't have betrayed you."

Selenite's words hit their intended target once again. Delphinus faltered slightly, right as the Utsuroid's lens focused on her. Before she could register what was about to happen, there was a blinding flash of light, then the sound of something breaking, and then-

-Delphinus hit the ground. As her eyes flickered open, she was met by the sight of the Utsuroid, which was staggering around brokenly, the gem on its forehead cracked clean down the middle… and Leo, now a petrified stone statue. The orange Cure was frozen in the last action she'd performed – attacking the gem on the Utsuroid's forehead.

Delphinus levered herself off the ground, her vivid pink eyes welling up with tears. "Leo... no..."

For a moment, Selenite looked a bit distressed herself… and then she shook it off. "Oh well." she said flatly. "Guess you're just meant to lose people." She felt ill saying this. "You can't protect anyone, huh?" Why did she feel ill?

Tourmaline regarded the battle from her perch high atop one of the zoo's towering outdoor clocks. "That should be me." she hissed in annoyance as she watched Selenite go in for the kill. "But…" She smiled wryly. "You're fighting so hard for Sardonyx's sake… I was too hard on you, Selenite."

Delphinus said nothing in response to Selenite's words – the tears rolling down her cheeks and splattering onto the concrete below her spoke volumes. "You're right." she said quietly. "I can't protect anyone on my own. I couldn't do anything to help Celes, or the people of Illuster. And now… Leo is…"

 _"You're not alone, and I never want you to feel like you have to be."_

"And now she's gone too." Selenite did her best to swallow back any hesitation on her end as she hefted her mallet. If she couldn't do this for Sardonyx, she would do it for Tourmaline. "Bye, then."

Selenite took a deep breath and swung her mallet towards Delphinus with all her might. It connected with Delphinus' shield, giving the pink Cure just enough leeway to dodge and roll out of the way before she struggled to her feet.

"That's right!" Delphinus' eyes shined with resolve as she faced down the stunned Selenite. "I can't protect them on my own… and that's why Leo and I will do it together! As partners!"

"D-don't be ridiculous!" Selenite said. "Leo can't help you anymore!"

"She's still with me in spirit!" Delphinus was too fired up to falter now. "As are so many others! My precious partner… the Asahina family… Yuu and Tsukiko… they're why I can stand here now! They're the people I'll let myself rely on! For their sake, I will not give up!"

Selenite's heart ached horribly at the reminder that Delphinus considered her… or at least Tsukiko a friend. She did her best to ignore it. "Utsuroid!"

The Utsuroid, which had since re-steadied itself, let out a berserker's cry before it charged at Delphinus.

And at that moment, Delphinus' heart began to shine with blindingly radiant pink light. Her Roaring Compact spun rapidly, the sound of a flute playing as it pulsed with pink light. Said light sent both the Utsuroid and Selenite reeling backwards in pain, and even Tourmaline found herself flinching at the sight of it.

As all present watched, a globe of pink light appeared before Delphinus before resolving into a pink and fuchsia flute with eight rainbow-colored buttons running down its length, a pink flower-shaped crystal at its tip, and cream-colored accents. Delphinus stared uncomprehendingly at it before instinct took over and she took hold of it. The moment she did, she felt a sudden surge of power pulse through her body as new knowledge floated into her head.

"Glimmer and bloom radiantly!" Delphinus said as she wielded the flute with the resolute authority of a warrior princess. "Melody Arm – Blossom Flute!"

Both twins did a double-take at this. "Melody Arm?" they chorused.

Delphinus began to play the Blossom Flute, which emitted a sweet-sounding, lilting melody that stunned the Utsuroid in its tracks before it could advance on her once more and had both twins covering their ears in pain. As she played, pink petals swirled up around her form and multiple pink, heart-shaped water globules materialized around her.

"Pretty Cure!" Delphinus cried as the water projectiles she had created began to glow with pink light. "Blossom Elegy!" Delphinus pointed the Blossom Flute towards the Utsuroid, leading them to rush towards it and bombard it from all sides, causing its gem to shatter completely in the ensuing heart-shaped, rainbow-colored blast. As this went on behind her, Delphinus curtsied graciously, as if she had just finished giving a personal recital.

"So warm…" the Utsuroid said, as it gave off multicolored energy, which flowed towards Delphinus and Leo's Roaring Compacts, before its form resolved into that of an unconscious Chiasa, whose Roaring Spark sunk back into her chest as she was deposited on the ground. Moments later, Leo returned to normal, flailing wildly as she struggled to maintain her balance.

Selenite stared in bafflement at the Cures, then Chiasa, then back at the Cures again. Her mouth worked silently before she appeared to give up and vanished in a burst of sparkling silver light.

Tourmaline 'tch'ed' dismissively before vanishing in an upward gust of wind.

"Leo!" Delphinus cried as she pulled her still slightly-disoriented partner into a tight hug. As the two Cures reverted to their civilian forms, and the damage to the area reversed itself in a haze of shimmering, multicolored light, she began to sob in relief. "Thank goodness… I thought I was going to lose you too."

"I won't let that happen." Kohaku said gently. "And I guess you couldn't let it happen either if we're both standing here like this."

"That's right." Nanami mentally kicked herself for forgetting about her now fogged-up glasses again. "Because I remembered I could rely on others… because I was able to draw on my belief in everyone, a new power was born. But even then, I'm still not sure if…"

Kohaku said nothing, simply giving Nanami's hand a gentle squeeze. There wasn't any need for words.

* * *

The sun was beginning to sink below the horizon by the time Chiasa had recovered. This time, there was no argument from anyone about leaving the zoo. Irene had been insistent on leaving, lest something else happen to her aunt, and the Cures, who were still worn out from their last fight, were in no mood to argue.

"What was that all about anyway?" Robin asked as the group headed out the gates of the zoo. "I remember hearing screaming, so I ran over, but then I passed out along the way. Just like... remember the forest, Nagi-chi, Shishi-chi? Do you think it was them?" She let out a dramatically exasperated sigh. "To obstruct the sun's shine today of all times!"

"What in the world are you talking about, Robin?" Chiasa asked. "I just fainted for a bit. I must have overheated trying to keep up with you kids all day."

"Yeah... I don't remember anything out of the ordinary." Tsukiko shared a fleeting glance with her sister, who was keeping close to Irene's side, before she approached Nanami, who was walking hand-in-hand with Kohaku. "You look refreshed, Nagisa-san. Are you feeling better?"

"Just a bit." Nanami said. "I still miss my sister, but I don't have to shoulder my loneliness by myself. Today made me realize how many friends I have supporting me."

Kohaku smiled warmly at Nanami. "I'm glad to here that."

"Yeah..." Tsukiko said absently. "It's nice, knowing that there are people who believe in you." Even as she spoke, she stared after Yuu and Irene, her expression unreadable.

* * *

Pretty Cure had parted ways with the rest of the group once they had arrived at the bus stop. Irene had been insistent on Yuu accompanying the rest of the Asahina family to their home, and Tsukiko had been loath to remain apart from her sister. Truly, she was worried about how she stood in Yuu's eyes after her failures.

Once the group arrived at the modest residence the Asahina family called home, Robin wasted no time bolting inside and Chiasa followed. Before she stepped indoors, she waited for Irene to follow her. Instead, the young girl signaled that she'd be right there.

Irene was motionless for a few moments. She made no attempt to get out her notepad. Instead, her mouth worked wordlessly for a few moments before she finally sputtered out a strained-sounding "Thanks, Yuu." Her voice was barely above a whisper, and it was clearly a struggle for her just to get the words out. "Glad you were here."

"You don't have to force yourself, Irene." Yuu said. "But… thank you as well." she added with a thin smile. "I really enjoyed our time together."

As Yuu spoke, she felt that strange sensation welling up in her heart once more, causing her to hesitate visibly. Was this what it felt like to enjoy the company of someone who wasn't her siblings?

Perhaps it was. Perhaps some small part of her did like Irene. But it didn't matter. Her love for Sardonyx came first. It always would.

In the end, Irene's heart would become a beautiful gift for her beloved superior. The purest expression of Tourmaline's devotion. That was the way things were meant to be.


	10. Episode Ten

**Episode Ten** : An Eclipse of the Heart! Troubled Robin!

* * *

Yuzuki did not like to flaunt her social status very much. Still, she had to admit there were quite a few advantages to being rich. Conveniences aside, it was nice to use her vast reserves of money to help people like Nanami and Kohaku. And it was very nice to be able to spoil her girlfriend now and again. Robin fussed over her so much and did so much to make her happy. It was only fair to return the favor.

So here she and Robin sat at the table for two Yuzuki had ordered at the most high-class restaurant in Seizato. Even if her dress was not at all ostentatious, Yuzuki still fit right in with the crowd between her graceful bearing and her obviously well-practiced formal etiquette. Robin… not so much. She was dressed the part in a sharp, off-white suit and tie… and yet she still stuck out like a sore thumb between her obvious middle-class bearing and her loudly expressive demeanor.

"Seriously, Yuzu, whenever you have the time, you need to drop by the fencing hall!" Robin said as she wound her pasta around her fork with all the grace of an industrial machine. "Shishi-chi is so... _commozione_ , all those hours of practice on my end, and she just… I might as well just throw my sword away at this point..."

Robin's usual bright smile faltered visibly as her voice trailed off. Yuzuki shot her girlfriend a worried look. Robin responded by winding her pasta around her fork several more times before popping it into her mouth, a clear Robin-brand 'I have something on my mind, but I don't want to talk about it' gesture if there ever was one.

"Robin, are you sure you're feeling okay?" Yuzuki asked once Robin had swallowed her sizable mouthful of pasta. "You've been spacing out a lot lately."

"Huh?" Robin said. "It's nothing big!Things have been brighter than ever in my life, you know?" She tipped a beaming smile and a wink in Yuzuki's direction. "Besides, I'm the sun! It doesn't become me to fume over nothing!" She spoke with enough panache - and volume - to draw multiple stares from the other patrons.

"Robin…" Yuzuki shot her girlfriend a clear _please control your volume_ sort of glance.

"Yuzu." Robin replied more quietly as she stared into Yuzuki's stormy gray eyes with her bright blue ones, which did not sparkle quite as much as they usually did. "My beautiful Yuzu. My talented Yuzu. My lovely Yuzu, who I am so grateful to share this marvelous evening with-"

" _Stop_ …" Yuzuki flushed visibly as she looked away. Intellectually, she was upset Robin for dodging the subject, but emotionally? She was too flustered to respond properly.

"I can't help it!" Robin said. Her voice grew quieter once she noticed the stares she was drawing from the other patrons again. "Anyway, I was thinking - we have that lovely weekend trip to your family's private island coming up soon, and I know it was just us before, but…"

Yuzuki sighed internally as Robin spoke, because something was clearly up with her girlfriend. She had known Robin for several years now, and that was far too long to be taken in by her claims of being completely unflappable. Especially considering… well, those matters.

But… it wouldn't be right to derail their evening together by pressuring her. And it wouldn't be right to drag that subject out in the open like that. So Yuzuki went along with the change of subject and tried to maintain a pleasant demeanor for the rest of the dinner. She could go along with what Robin was trying to do here. For now, anyway.

* * *

As the twins stepped into Classroom 2-B that morning, they were greeted with a chorus of cheerful smiles and chipper 'good mornings'. Tsukiko was, anyway. Hardly anyone in the classroom so much as made eye contact with Yuu. Not that she cared. Why would she? This was going to disappear soon enough.

"Tsukiko!" Amane eagerly beelined for the younger twin's desk the second she and Yuu had seated herself. "Have you chosen the books you're going to read for our trip?"

"Hey, Tsukiko," Taeko said as she popped up next to Amane. "I and a couple other girls were thinking of having a basketball match this afternoon, and I could seriously use those jumping skills of yours! Wanna shoot some hoops with me?"

"Tsukiko, could you tutor me again sometimes?" another girl asked. "I've been having a lot of trouble understanding Aozora-sensei's latest lesson, and you're so good at math."

Tsukiko looked from one girl to another, clearly lost for words. She opened her mouth to respond, only to falter once she noticed Yuu staring at her. Her sister looked as disapproving of this behavior as ever, but she also seemed a bit lost? Wistful? Whatever it was, it was probably her cue to stand down, wasn't it?

"Maybe we could speak later?" Tsukiko said. "You guys are throwing a lot at me at once…"

As the three girls backed off, offering quiet apologies to Tsukiko, Nanami and Kohaku entered 2-B with Misaki in tow. Judging by the look of things, the bespectacled girl had been talking the two's ears off, and neither Nanami nor Kohaku knew entirely what she was talking about.

"Good morning, everyone!" Nanami said as the three stepped into the classroom, Kohaku offering the others a small and polite smile in turn. Nanami made sure to offer a particularly bright smile to the twins. Tsukiko returned it. Yuu hardly seemed to notice.

"Good morning!" Misaki chirped before homing in on the twins. "Yuu, come here a sec! I need to show you something important! You too, Tsukiko! It's only fair!"

Yuu stared blankly at Misaki, even as Taeko hurried over to her side. "Is this about…?"

"It sure is!" Taeko said. "Ands it's kinda your project too! So, c'mon! You have to give us your thoughts on the finished product!"

"That makes sense when you put it that way." Yuu said flatly. "However, I ref-"

"We'll be right there." Tsukiko said, before adding "I think _that_ will go better if you learn how to be friendlier." under her breath.

Yuu made a derisive noise under her breath. Nevertheless, she grudgingly joined her sister, Taeko, and the Cures in gathering near Misaki, who proudly flourished her smartphone for all to see. Said smartphone displayed the cute and frilly-looking homepage of someone called 'Mai Heart'. There was a small gallery of pictures of a girl who heavily resembled Misaki and was donning a variety of cosplay outfits, along with a handful of blog posts and a toolbar with everything from a guestbook to Mai Heart's bio.

"Oh my, Saegusa-san." Nanami said. "It's gorgeous!" A pause, then "What in the world is it?"

"Well," Misaki said, "you know how Yuu said I should find inspiration in myself instead of just looking to magical girls? I got to thinking about that, and I decided to become a magical girl myself! A magic idol, to be more specific! There are distinctions, you know."

"Meet Magical Idol Mai Heart!" Taeko beamed proudly. "She has a whole bio, complete with detailed lore and a diary! Misaki-chan wrote those, Sakkun helped with her outfits and did the photography, and I made her website!" She puffed her chest out in pride. "Betcha didn't know I'm also a tech expert, huh?"

"And of course, we can't forget Yuu!" Misaki said. "Were it not for her, Mai wouldn't exist at all! And, and she helped us with the site layout! Thank you very much, Yuu!"

"Oh?" Kohaku said. "That was really generous of you to do all that, Yuu."

Yuu looked away sharply. "I really didn't do anything important." she said. "I just gave that… advice back there and helped them pick out colors for… that."

"I don't know…" Tsukiko said. "That sounds important to me, Yuu." She shot her twin her best _please try a little harder_ look as she added "Thank you for showing me this, Saegusa-san. It looks like you're having a lot of fun."

Tsukiko's tone was a bit wistful there, even if it shouldn't have been. That did not fail to escape Yuu. Thankfully, her sister's attention, along with that of almost everyone else present was immediately diverted once Yuzuki entered 2-B, causing a hush to fall over the entire classroom.

Most everyone who had been present at the cherry blossom viewing party was fairly relaxed as Yuzuki entered the room. But a great many people still weren't, as evidenced by the myriad stares and whispers pointed in the direction of the student council president.

Nanami broke from the group and approached Yuzuki. "Good morning, Himi-san. Is everything alright?"

Yuzuki shook her head before leading Nanami off to the side. "You visited the zoo with Robin a few days ago, right? Was she acting strangely by any chance? She's been a bit off lately, and I'm wondering if there was something I missed."

"Oh…" Nanami said. "She did seem a little spaced-out yesterday. I was worried that she was jealous" On 'jealous' she lowered her voice, lest Yuu overhear her. "She kept insisting that she was perfectly alright, though. Did she say anything to you?"

Yuzuki shook her head. "Nothing particularly concerning. Honestly, she spent a good chunk of our dinner last night talking about the fencing club and Shishioh-san."

It was rude to listen in on the conversations of others. Kohaku knew that full well. But she found her ears tuning into what Nanami was saying despite herself, even as Taeko tried to rope her into her basketball game. And the taller girl did not like what she was hearing, not one bit.

True, Robin had seemed to be completely unbothered during their practice together the other day, even as Kohaku had soundly beaten every time. She had even joked about how sloppy and amateurish Kohaku made her swordplay look. But a person seeming happy on the surface meant nothing. Hadn't she learned that from being around Nanami?

 _"You're not here to show off. You're here to be useful."_ Alexandria had told Kohaku that so many times. Kohaku knew it was another one of her lies, meant to break her spirit, but what if there was truth there? What if she had been showing off without thinking? What if she had become so caught up in displaying her prowess that she had ended up hurting Robin's feelings? What if she had been being selfish without meaning to be?

The more Kohaku focused on this notion, the tighter her chest felt and the harder it was to focus on anything Taeko was saying for all the anxious static building up in her brain. She needed to shut this stupid notion out right now, entertaining it was the worst thing she could do for herself, she had to try and be better than this, but… but she…

"Hey, Shishioh-san?" Taeko waved a hand in front of Kohaku's face. "You doing okay?"

"I'm very sorry." Kohaku said. "I think I need to step out for some air."

The twins, who had since returned to their desks, watched Kohaku hurry out of the room, looking as if she was going to pass out if she remained there a second longer.

"Jealous, huh…" Tsukiko said pensively. After a moment of contemplative silence, she added "I guess we should keep an eye on Asahina-san."

"Her and Shishioh-san." Yuu said. "There might be something we can use here."

* * *

Talking to Nanami during their first break really had helped Kohaku's mental state. She hadn't been completely honest about what was eating at her, because it was a stupid notion fueled by her stupid brain and didn't really merit speaking about. Instead, she left it at "I just felt anxious. Getting some air helped."

"I don't blame you." Nanami had told Kohaku. "Even now, I keep wondering how well we would have made out during that last battle, had I not unlocked my Melody Arm. And I can't imagine being turned to stone was at all pleasant."

Kohaku had agreed that no, it wasn't, not at all, even if she couldn't remember most of it past blind panic. Even if that wasn't the real issue here, Nanami's assurance that such a thing wouldn't happen again, now that she had powered up did calm her nerves a bit.

And then Kohaku had run across Robin while the rest of 2-B was en route to gym class, and her nerves had gone right on the fritz again. Any notion that Robin, who was transporting a stack of photocopies to another classroom, wasn't really thinking of Kohaku at all promptly went on the window the second Kohaku noticed how her eyes seemed to home right in on her.

Or rather, they had been homing in on Yuu, who had been near Kohaku until she had departed with the rest of the class a few moments ago. Not that Kohaku noticed.

"Oh... Asahina-san. Hello." said Kohaku. "Having a good day?"

"What?" Robin said absently, before Kohaku's words sunk in, and she suddenly snapped to attention. "Oh! _Ciao_ , Shishi-chi! I'm having a bright and sunshiny day as usual!" She laughed and made finger guns at the younger girl before heading off. "And away I go! Have fun at gym - and spare a little mercy for your classmates, won't you?"

Kohaku's lips pressed into a thin line at that comment, given how strained Robin's demeanor was. Well, there was that, and… "Asahina-san, that isn't-"

"Yes, it is!" Robin said as she opened a nearby door. "Now go on, Shishi-chi - I've got these photocopies to deliver, and you need to catch up with your classmates!"

"N-no, Asahina-san, I meant-" Kohaku started... right as Robin stepped into the room. There was the clatter and tumble of falling cleaning supplies, followed by a string of harsh-sounding English. "That's a… storage closet."

"But of course." Robin could be heard saying. "I knew that. I'm the sun, after all." The sound of more supplies being shifted about, mixed with some pained hissing and exasperated-sounding muttering could be heard, and then "And the sun is perfectly alright on her own. Go on, Shishi-chi! I'd hate to be responsible for you missing class!"

Kohaku hesitated before forcing herself to hurry off, trying to shut out the anxious static crackling in the back of her mind all the while.

* * *

For once, 2-B was playing a competitive sport that had not turned into yet another game of Who Can Beat Kohaku Shishioh. Kohaku Shishioh was the one beaten this time. Her usual razor-sharp focus was gone, and her usually lightning-quick movements and reflexes were much slower than normal. That left her a sitting duck for a stray dodgeball, and soon, she was left sitting on the sidelines, a sight that gave quite a few of her classmates pause.

No, this time, the girl of the hour was Tsukiko, who dodged and wove around every dodgeball lobbed her way without breaking a sweat and even outright leapt over one. By the end of gym class, Tsukiko was being swarmed by a crowd of fawning admirers.

Yuu, who had let herself be hit by a dodgeball almost immediately into the game, stared pointedly at Tsukiko. Her twin averted her gaze once she met Yuu's eyes.

"Man, I didn't realize how athletic Tsukiko was." Kohaku flashed an 'I'm alright!' sign at Nanami once she broke from the crowd praising Tsukiko and shot a concerned glance her way. "I'd be pretty proud to have a sister like that."

Yuu shrugged. "She can do what she wants. I think it's pointless."

"But Tsukiko clearly doesn't think so." Kohaku said. Indeed, once Tsukiko seemed certain that her sister's eyes were off of her, she had gone back to excitedly chatting with her admirers. At this point, she was demonstrating her dodge technique for one. "And it doesn't seem like the others feel that way. Shouldn't you be happy for her?"

For a moment, Yuu looked mildly distressed… before her gaze hardened. "Don't tell me what I should want. Or assume what Tsukiko wants either."

"Right…" Kohaku bit back the urge to tell Yuu off again, lest she cause a repeat of what had happened back at the cherry blossom viewing. "Sorry."

Yuu was quiet for a moment before she replied with "By the way… I saw you stopped showing off for everyone." Kohaku faltered visibly. That was what Yuu needed. "You're obviously very hypercompetent. But you almost never it tone it down. I'm sure it made a lot of people feel inadequate."

Kohaku forced herself to maintain eye contact with Yuu. "I have wondered if I was doing that." she said. "But… there's no need to be so blunt when you speak, Yuu." She hesitated, clearly choosing her words before adding "It never hurts to be more tactful. I think you'd get on better with people if you were."

"Maybe." Yuu said. "And it wouldn't hurt to be more considerate of others before you rub your strength in their faces, Shishioh-san. I guess we both have things to work on."

There was no need to take what Yuu said to heart, Kohaku reminded herself as 2-B departed the gym. The other girl wasn't quite as terrible as she had believed, but she was still kind of a pill, and that was all she was doing here. Being a pill. But that didn't stop Yuu's words from joining the anxious maelstrom brewing in her brain.

* * *

Robin was still putting on pretenses of feeling perfectly alright by the time the fencing club started their meeting. They were not very good pretenses. The fencing team captain mixed up the names of several members, asked where her sword was this time when she was holding it in her hand, and nearly crashed into several things just trying to make her way around the hall. She was just making her club members worry harder about her.

"Oh man…" Taeko said as Robin absently instructed the rest of the group to break into pairs and spar with one another. "Guess the sun ran into some stormy weather."

"It sure seems that way." another fencing club member said as she glanced towards Kohaku, who was shuffling awkwardly on the sidelines as she watched everyone else go about their business. "Shishioh-san doesn't look that hot either."

"Sheesh… they're usually both so gung-ho." yet another club member said. "Hope everything's alright."

Kohaku finally gathered enough volition to approach Taeko… only for Robin to pop up in front of her.

"Shishi-chi!" Robin was apparently oblivious to how badly she had startled Kohaku. "How about another sparring match! I want everyone here to be in tip-top shape! That includes even our MVP! And, _and_ I think it'd be nice to put on a good show for the rest of the club!"

Kohaku hesitated. On the surface, Robin's request sounded perfectly sincere, but there was still a strained undercurrent behind her words. Even so… she'd probably cause more trouble if she said 'no', right? So, she nodded and joined Robin in the center of the fencing hall, both girls taking their positions. The moment she did so, most everyone else paused what they were doing to watch the captain and the team's most talented member.

"Give me all that you have, Shishi-chi!" Robin said. "Best two out of three! _Andiamo_!"

"Understood." Kohaku said. "I'll do my best, Asahina-san."

Both girls put on their fencing masks and readied themselves. And then the match commenced. Even in her anxiety-ridden state, Kohaku was still the superior fencer by far. She might have fumbled her thrusts and parries a little, a contrast to her usually precise movements, but she still handily broke through Robin's guard as if the older girl hadn't tried parrying her blows at all.

Robin, on the other hand, was definitely struggling. She was clearly giving it her all, even as she gracefully acknowledged her first defeat and went into round two, but it was equally clear that her current state was badly impacting her swordsmanship, which was sloppier than usual.

Kohaku usually did have to work to defeat Robin - even if the older girl had yet to actually win against Kohaku in their sparring matches, she was skilled enough that Kohaku had to be ready for whatever she threw at her. But as she was right now? She was going to be veritably curb stomped by Kohaku, who-

 _I saw you stopped showing off for everyone._

 _I was worried that she was jealous._

-purposefully failed to parry at the last possible moment, allowing Robin to break through her guard and score the point.

A pall of silence fell over the fencing hall as both girls disengaged from their match. Then Robin removed her mask, with Kohaku following suit. Both girls stood there in silence for a moment, their faces beaded with sweat as they caught their breath.

"I guess it's a tie, then." Kohaku smiled nervously at Robin. "That's a first."

Robin simply walked past Kohaku, a pensive expression on her face. "Shishioh-san… why did you throw the match like that?" she asked, her tone teetering on the edge between level and furious. When Kohaku didn't respond, she turned on her heel and faced her down. "Were you trying to make me feel better?"

"Sorry…" Kohaku said quietly as she backed away a few steps. "I simply thought-"

Robin shook her head. "Do I really look like the type of person who'd appreciate that?" She was emanating enough anger and hurt to make Kohaku worry she'd be sunburnt if she lingered. "I don't need anyone on this team tearing themselves down to make me shine more."

"You're right." Kohaku dropped into a quick bow of apology before she moved to gather her things. "I'm very sorry, Asahina-san. I had no intention of insulting you." Before anyone present could say anything more, Kohaku had backed towards the entrance of the fencing hall. "Sorry, everyone. There's something I need to do. Excuse me."

And then Kohaku had burst out the door, leaving the rest of the fencing team to stare after her.

"No offense, Asahina-san, but I think you went a little too far with Shishioh-san." Taeko said.

"Ichizaki-san is right." another girl informed the rather gobsmacked-looking Robin. "You've seemed distressed lately, Asahina-san, and it's been impacting your swordsmanship. I think she was scared of hurting you by taking advantage of that."

Robin turned away harshly. "Damn it!" she hissed under her breath. "I'm not supposed to… I'm the sun, I'm not supposed to…" Her sword went clattering to the floor as she buried her face in her hands. "I haven't changed at all, have I?" she muttered in English. "Selfish brat…"

"We can end this early if you want, Asahina-san." another girl offered. "If you're feeling bad-"

Robin shook her head. "I'm not letting everyone miss out on practice because of me." She took a deep breath before flashing the fencing team her best beaming smile. "There's no worrying about the sun! The sun's here to shine for others, after all!"

Not a single girl present bought Robin's claims. They went along with them anyway. There was no real arguing with the sun. Not while she was like this.

* * *

The library committee was nowhere near as tense an environment as the fencing hall had become. No, the entire room was a hotbed of excitement as everyone presented the books they had selected to read for their trip to the hospital and discussed their plans for said trip. Just having Nanami around really helped boost the mood. She was more than a little invested in this trip, and it definitely showed, between how animated she was and the ideas she kept throwing out.

"-and I was thinking, perhaps it would make everything more fun if we spiced it up a little!" Nanami was telling the rest of the group, her eyes sparkling as she spoke. "Obviously, we can't go too far, but perhaps we could dress up, or a few of us could put on a puppet show while another of us reads!"

"Oh my gosh, those all sound like a ton of fun!" Amane said. "Maybe you should be the club president, Nanami. You've got ten times the enthusiasm of the rest of us here."

Nanami looked aside, her glasses fogging up slightly. "I wouldn't go _that_ far, Amane." She cast a quizzical glance at Tsukiko, who studying a copy of _The Velveteen Rabbit_ as if it was a holy scripture. "What about you, Tsukiko? Any ideas?"

Tsukiko took a moment to tear her eyes away from the book and respond. "Oh, I… I like your ideas, Nagisa-san. But I'm not sure what I should do."

"Maybe you could bring a rabbit plush with you?" Amane suggested. "That book is about a rabbit toy, and kids enjoy cute and soft things. As do discerning girls like us, of course!"

"Oh… that does sound fun." Tsukiko said. "I don't have any plushies at home, though. I guess I'd have to buy one."

"Really?" said another library committee member. "Not a single one, Tsukiko?"

"No." Tsukiko said quietly. "I haven't allowed myself fun things like that for a long time." Because this was what this was about, wasn't it? Fun. How pathetic of her. "That… that's not important, though!" she added. "How about you, Yamaguchi-san?"

"Dressing up does sound like it'd be a lot of fun." Amane said. "I remember seeing a few outfits and accessories at Aurora Sparkle that just screamed 'princess'. Maybe we could go together, Tsukiko? There are some toy stores in the area we can hit up! You could buy a whole bunch of plushies for your room if you want!"

"I wouldn't mind coming along, if you're up for it, Tsukiko." Nanami said. "There are a few things I need to pick up as well."

Tsukiko hesitated. Part of her really wanted to say yes, but there was no real point to saying yes. She needed to focus on her mission. She needed to be better for the sake of her sister. Her sister, who kept looking at her like that throughout the day. Her sister, who had much more focus and drive than Tsukiko and yet still worried her terribly.

Luckily, Tsukiko was saved from having to answer for now - moments after Nanami spoke, a hush fell over the library before the clear cause of it - Yuzuki Himi, stepped into everyone's view.

"Please, don't mind me." she said. "I simply wanted to observe you all."

And to talk to Nanami -even if Yuzuki didn't verbalize that outright, Nanami could easily infer it. So, after encouraging everyone to get over their performance anxiety and carry on as if Yuzuki wasn't even there, Nanami politely broke away from the others. Yuzuki offered a quiet 'thank you for letting me observe' to the rest of the library committee, before she and Nanami slipped between some of the book stacks.

"Are you still having trouble with Asahina-san?" Nanami asked.

Yuzuki nodded solemnly. "Robin texted me a few minutes ago, saying that she did 'something terrible' to Shishioh-san." At Nanami's distressed expression, she added "Robin's pretty hard on herself for her mistakes, so I'm sure it wasn't even a fraction as bad as she's making it out to be. But even so…"

"I wonder what it might be about." Nanami pulled out her phone to text Kohaku. There was no way she was going to leave this alone. "And if Kohaku is doing alright. She's pretty sensitive, and if Robin is upset, it might have rubbed off on her."

Yuzuki looked around before lowering her volume a half-step. "Please don't spread this around, but I'm worried it really is about Irene. She hasn't gotten on well with anyone since she and Robin were sent here, Robin included. Not until recently, anyway…"

"And that was why she was acting so strangely, seeing Yuu and Irene getting along so well." Nanami smiled sadly. "I wish I had thought to ask about that. I know how much it hurts to be rejected by your little sister."

"Please don't beat yourself up." Yuzuki replied. "Even if you had asked, I doubt Robin would have told you the truth. She doesn't seem to think she's allowed to think negatively about most people. And I haven't been able to change that, no matter how much I try. Some girlfriend I am."

Yuzuki and Nanami had an audience - Tsukiko, who was eavesdropping on the pair from her spot at the end of one of the book stacks. She frowned as she overheard the discussion. So Yuu really was at the root of this… but Kohaku was still involved, or at least caught up in it. And this was all happening because Robin was jealous. Jealous… was that why Yuu had been...?

"Yuzuki, it isn't your fault." Nanami said. "Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, all you can do is wait for your important people to decide to open up on their own terms. Kohaku and I still struggle with that."

Yuzuki looked a bit caught off-guard by the use of her first name before she softened. "Thank you, Nanami. But… even knowing that, I'm still scared. I was targeted by those people because my heart was in turmoil, right? I don't want that to happen to Robin."

Tsukiko scoffed internally at that. Robin was already down for the count. It was just a matter of letting her Roaring Spark mature a bit more. But that didn't stop her stomach for turning uncomfortably at hearing the way Yuzuki spoke.

Tsukiko looked down at her hands. _It's right for us to do this. It's Lady Sardonyx's will. But… if it's causing such pain…_ She knocked herself in the head. No. No, that was wrong. That pain would disappear in the end. It was fine like this. _It was fine like this._

"Don't worry, Yuzuki." Nanami said. "I promise not to let that happen if I can help it."

"And if you do, Pretty Cure will save her, right?" Yuzuki sounded more than a bit knowing as she spoke.

Nanami smiled warmly at Yuzuki. "Of course."

Tsukiko forced herself to slip away lest she end up being caught eavesdropping, her lips pressing into a thin line all the while. That was right. Pretty Cure would save her. And they, the Void Clan, would do their best to defeat Pretty Cure. Again, and again until they won. That was how it was meant to be.

* * *

Nanami did not bother waiting for Kohaku after school. There was no need to. Not long after her conversation with Yuzuki, her partner had sent her a reply to her text message - _Went home early. Something came up. Sorry._ That didn't make Nanami feel any better. What was going on here?

When Nanami finally returned to Shooting Star, she found Kohaku practicing sword drills on the observatory deck, while Sirius, currently in their humanoid form, messed with the telescope, their ears alert and their tail swishing back and forth as they examined it keenly.

"This is _fantastic_ equipment, truly, truly." Sirius mused. "But… I'm more interested in whatever is in the observatory proper. I wonder why she keeps it locked up?"

"Tsubasa said it's too much of a mess to bother with." Kohaku did not so much as falter in her drills as she spoke. "That's all I could get out of her. I'm not going to pry further. It's not our business."

Nanami watched her partner and the librarian for a few more moments before she finally spoke up. "Good afternoon, Siri, Kohaku! How…" She frowned, shaking her head. "Was everything alright at practice?"

Only then did Kohaku abandon her drills before moving to face Nanami in the stiff and rigid manner she had adopted after her accident eight years ago. She stood there in silence for a short while before she finally spoke.

"Nanami… have I been showing off?"

Both Nanami and Sirius, who promptly abandoned the telescope then and there, looked taken aback by that one.

"Whatever do you mean by that?" Sirius asked.

Nanami blinked in confusion. "Who told you such a thing?"

Kohaku looked aside. "Yuu did." she said quietly. "Said I've been making other people feel inadequate, with how often I show off my prowess in gym class."

Nanami shook her head. "No, that's… Yuu was just projecting her insecurities onto-"

"It's not just her." Kohaku said. "I've been worried about it since I overheard your conversation with Himi-san this morning. About Asahina-san being jealous of my swordplay. I do get it. I guess it would hurt to practice so hard, only to have some upstart underclassman beat you." Her voice caught a bit as she spoke. "I thought she'd feel a bit better if I threw our match, but it… obviously, it didn't work out too well."

Sirius looked a little distressed at what Kohaku was saying. Nanami looked outright baffled… before that bafflement rapidly faded into distress as well.

"You thought Asahina-san was jealous of… _oh, no_."

Kohaku stared at Nanami in confusion. "Nanami?"

"You must have misunderstood our conversation that morning, Kohaku. I don't think Asahina-san was upset about you at all. I never did. Judging by what I saw that day and what Yuzuki and I discussed, it looked like she was jealous of Yuu."

Kohaku's practice rapier went clattering to the ground. "Because of her sister?" As Nanami nodded, Kohaku let out a groan of exasperation as she buried her face in her hands. "All this time... if I hadn't listened to my idiot brain, if I hadn't _assumed_ … god, I'm so _stupid_!"

"You're not stupid!" Nanami said. "You're a person who made an honest mistake because she worries so much! Don't say such ugly things about yourself!"

"Lady Nanami is right." Sirius said. "You're not a sister like she is, so I'm sure the connection slipped your mind easily. Building your self-confidence back up after all this time couldn't be easy either. Therefore, it's perfectly, perfectly reasonable for you to-"

Kohaku shook her head. "Nothing about what I did was reasonable. Asahina-san's feelings were hurt because of me. If she ends up getting targeted by the Void Clan, some of it will be my fault." She crossed over to the edge of the observatory deck, the wind idly ruffling her hair as she leaned on the railing. "I haven't changed at all, have I?"

"I wouldn't say that." Sirius said as they and Nanami joined Kohaku. "I think you've changed very, very much from where you were back then. The fact that you can speak so honestly about your worries to Lady Nanami is proof enough."

"Right, but-" Kohaku started, only for her self-defeating words to die in her throat as Nanami placed a hand on her own.

"It's okay." Nanami said. "You said it yourself - it's hard to change after devoting yourself to a role. But you're trying, Kohaku. And you're not stupid for messing up. Neither of us are. We can't take back our mistakes. But we can try to make up for them. I'm sure someone like Asahina-san understands that."

"I'd like to think so." Kohaku's heart was not completely in her words, but Nanami made the notion so much easier to believe. She was so lucky to have her by her side.

* * *

After returning home from fencing practice, Robin was greeted by the sight of Yuu and Irene seated outside together in front of her house. Irene was busy sketching the birds that were flocking in their front yard, and Yuu was doing the same, in between… calling them? Controlling them? No, that was silly. But… she was clearly doing _something_ to make the birds want to linger there like that. Birds didn't do that normally. And yet, here they were. Maybe Yuu was just that good?

 _Of course_ , Robin thought bitterly. _Not only is she the better sister_ , _she_ _can even magic animals to her side_. _No wonder Reenie loves her._

Immediately, Robin felt disgusted with herself for feeling this way. This should have made her happy! For a long time, Irene had simply shut herself in her room once she returned home from school, and that was when she had managed to make it to school to begin with. For her little sister to actually bring a friend home… any good person would be nothing but happy with that! And yet, all Robin could manage to feel…

…was a deep twinge of bitterness. For Irene to cling to this Yuu girl so tightly even as she pushed her own big sister away, that must have meant…

…that Robin was being replaced. Oh, but that was okay! It was alright! She was happy to see that! She was here to bring sunshine into the heart of every girl, and if that meant being replaced, then…

...that. Was. Fine. This was what she deserved anyway. It was her fault Irene had been alone so long in the first place.

Yuu suddenly looked up from her sketchbook and directly at Robin. The green-haired girl seemed to be staring right into her soul. Or her heart. Either way, it made Robin involuntarily shudder, and that just made her feel even worse. Surely, she'd had no real reason to...

"Oh! Hello, Asahina-san." Yuu said. She looked and sounded genial in a way that made Robin feel guiltier for thinking ill of her. "How was fencing practice?"

"Yuu-chi! Reenie! _Ciao_!" Robin wore a beaming smile that she did not feel. "And it was… bright and shining as usual!" she added as she approached the pair... causing every bird present to suddenly take wing. The way Irene's face fell immediately afterward felt a dagger through the heart. "Oh dear…"

"You should be more careful." Yuu said. She did not take her eyes off of Robin, even as she patted Irene on the shoulder. "They spook easily. Especially around loud people."

"Right, right! Duly noted!" Robin said with a nervous laugh. "Well… don't mind me! I'll just drop my things off, get changed, and be on my way! The life of the sun is quite busy, you know!"

And then Robin dashed past Irene and Yuu, through the front door, and up the stairs like her life depended on it. She didn't let the fake smile she had plastered on her face fade until she had finally arrived in her sunflower-themed bedroom. Nor did she simply drop off her things and leave right away. No, she let her schoolbag and fencing bag fall to the ground before she slammed her bedroom door shut behind her, marched over to her bed, flopped face-down across it, and let out a long, muffled scream.

* * *

Yuu did not bother calling any more birds once the obnoxious sun girl flounced off. Instead, she sat in silence with Irene for a few moments, both taking in the outside air as they listened to the sound of birdsong around them. This, Yuu had discovered quickly over the past few days, was quite a workable means of socializing with Irene. Neither girl was the chatty type, and both girls counted 'silently ignoring one another while doing one's own thing' to be an acceptable form of socialization. It almost made her regret…

…no, it didn't. She did not, would _never_ regret this. Because this was a glorious act for Lady Sardonyx. _Her_ convictions, unlike Tsukiko's, were quite clear.

Finally, Yuu spoke up. "What's with her?" she asked. "She acts so strangely around you."

Irene looked genuinely sad for a moment. It took her a while to even put her pencil to her notepad, and once she did, it was clear that simply writing this out was not something she found particularly fun or comfortable.

'She brought a girl home. Our parents blew up. They sent us here. Robin fit in. I didn't.'

Yuu felt something inside of her twinge oddly at this. So that was how it was, huh? My, it was a good thing that she wouldn't have to actually live on this world. Humans sounded strange.

'She thinks it's her fault that I got hurt.' Irene continued, her hand trembling ever-so-slightly as Yuu watched her Roaring Spark waver in its slightly cracked glass prison. 'She beats herself up and acts weird around me. I don't think she'd listen to me if I tried.' A pause, then 'What do you think I should do? I'm sick of this!'

Yuu stared blankly at Irene's last message. In order to earn Irene's trust and access to her Roaring Spark, she needed to say something supportive, but… what? How? This really was Tsukiko's department, not hers… and there she had it.

"It does hurt, seeing your own sister acting like a complete fool." That was why Yuu felt so terrible seeing Tsukiko carrying on the way she had been as of late. Because her sister was being foolish. "And I can't imagine I'd be happy seeing people hurting Tsukiko. Or feeling like I landed her in a situation where she was being hurt."

Irene sighed heavily before writing again. 'That's nice, but what should I do?'

Without thinking, Yuu replied "Find a way to make her understand?" She hesitated after the words came out of her mouth but now Irene was looking at her expectantly, so she forced herself to keep going. "Tsukiko and I might be twins, but we're pretty different. She's way better with people than I am. More emotional. More popular at school." She felt so strange, saying this. Why? "If I had trouble relating to what she's going through, she would have to put it in a way that I'd understand."

'I think I get it'. Irene wrote. 'That's why it's easier for me to get along with you than it is Robin. We're on the same level. So, I need to meet Robin on her level. Or get her to meet me on mine, right?'

"R-right?" Yuu felt her voice – and something within her falter as she spoke.

Irene nodded and smiled. 'I'll try my best. Thanks, Yuu!'

She absently pressed a hand to her heart. This strange feeling brimming within… was this simple satisfaction at knowing she was getting closer to getting at Irene's heart? Or was it simply contentment at knowing she could help Irene? She didn't entirely want to know. For whatever reason, the answer frightened her a bit.

* * *

Robin's first act after she had left her house, slipping out the back door simply so she would not have to look at Yuu and Irene was to call Yuzuki and invite her out for a stroll around Seizato. Her girlfriend wasted no time in accepting the invitation.

At first, the mood was quite light. Robin spoke of trivial matters as she and Yuzuki made their way around uptown Seizato, enjoying the gentle evening breeze, the sight of the setting sun, and the smell of the evening air. But it was clear that what had happened earlier that afternoon was eating at Robin like a persistent itch, even as she laughed and joked around. And even so, Yuzuki did not push her. It wouldn't work. She had been given two years to figure this out.

Once the pair arrived at the park, taking advantage of its near-emptiness to fool about on the playground equipment before taking to the swings, the levees finally broke on Robin's end. As Yuzuki listened attentively, Robin explained everything in detail, up to her confrontation with Kohaku.

"And that's about the size of it." Robin concluded. She sighed as she swung back and forth morosely. "I really shouldn't have spoken so harshly, huh?"

"No." said Yuzuki. "You really shouldn't have."

Robin did a double take. "That's unusually direct of you, Yuzu."

"Maybe so." Yuzuki replied. "But…" She abruptly dug in her heels, forcing herself to come to a stop. "Robin, I'm worried about you. You won't tell me what's wrong, then this happens, and… I… I'm your girlfriend, Robin! How can we keep this going if we can't be honest with one another?"

Robin hopped off the swing. Her momentum sent her stumbling a few feet before Yuzuki put out a hand to steady her. She offered her a grateful smile… which quickly faded as Yuzuki's question sunk in.

"Yuzu…" she said as the two continued to meander through the park, hand-in-hand, eventually coming to a stop at the edge of the lake. "It's not that I don't trust you with my feelings!" It's just…" She looked towards the setting sun, a melancholic expression on her face. "I shouldn't have these feelings to begin with! It's not right. It's selfish for the sun to focus on-"

Yuzuki shook her head. "Robin, don't. You're human. And humans are bound to think selfish, unreasonable things like 'why is my sister getting along with her and not me' or 'woe is me, I have more wealth than everyone combined, but nobody wants to be my friend.' It's nothing either of us should condemn ourselves over."

Robin pulled away from Yuzuki. "Irene is hurting because I was selfish!" she snapped, only to immediately falter in the face of Yuzuki's shocked expression and immediately faltered. "N-no, sorry, Yuzu, I just…" Her eyes were beginning to water. She wiped them awkwardly with her shirt sleeve. "I don't want to hurt anyone ever again. I don't want to be the selfish brat who placed her own happiness over-"

"No matter what you say, I still contend that he is a liar." Yuzuki said. "The worst kind too." The two spent a few moments in silence, admiring the way the setting sun reflected off the lake's water before she added "You should apologize to Shishioh-san before anything else. I can only imagine how bad she must feel right now."

"Yeah." Robin's usualbright and cheery tone was gone. She made no effort to get it back. "Shishioh-san… Shishi-chi is very fragile. I shouldn't have treated her the way I did."

Yuzuki took Robin's hand in her own once more. "You know… the sun can hurt others. But even then, we wouldn't dare condemn it. After all, it does so much for people and asks for nothing in return."

"True that." Robin said. "And the moon reflects the sun's light with such brilliance. And it does so much for… you know, for the tides and harvests and such. The moon's great."

Yuzuki laughed softly. "You have such a way with words, you goof." she said playfully before she kissed Robin on the cheek.

"Th-thanks." Robin stammered as she turned bright red. "Heh… I call myself the sun, but I only feel truly warm when I'm with you, Yuzu. You know that?"

"As do I." Yuzuki said. "I guess this is what it means to be in love."

The two of them remained there together for a very long time, watching the sun sink over the horizon as the moon came out to shine over the waters instead.

* * *

Selenite had grown to despise returning home. Going back to the cold, dead air in this kingdom after heading to Earth had once felt like nothing at all, but after she had become Tsukiko, spending hours at a time playing at being a normal girl before returning to the cold, harsh reality was beginning to feel outright torturous. And watching her twin sister as she sat on a bench in one of the Citadel's gardens, trying not to shiver at how dead the air felt just made her feel even worse.

Tourmaline moved like a machine as she played target practice with a few trees in the area, her form lit by the frozen, sickly light of the mockery of the moon that hung in this kingdom's night sky. Her movements were swift and unerring. Her shots with her crossbow were executed with pinpoint accuracy. Nothing she did was performed with a hint of emotion. Her footsteps were almost perfectly quiet – were it not for the sound of concentrated wind striking wood and the soft breathing of Agate, who laid draped half-on and half-off a bench near Selenite, there would be no noise in the air at all. She was the ideal soldier, wasn't she? Harsh and sharp where Selenite was soft and weak. And yet…

"Hey… Yuu?"

No response.

"Yuu?"

Tourmaline lowered her crossbow, staring blankly at Selenite. "Who is Yuu?"

Selenite winced, having realized her mistake. "Sorry, Tourmaline, I… you know how it is, being on Earth for so long…"

"No." Tourmaline made her crossbow vanish in a flash of blue light as she approached her sister. "I don't." A pause, then "What is it, Selenite?"

"Are you jealous of me?" Tourmaline did not respond. Selenite made herself keep going. "You keep staring at me while we're at school, especially when I'm being fussed over. I guess I'm a little worried? You seem so sad, being left alone while I-"

Tourmaline sharply turned away from Selenite. "I'm sad because you're being foolish, Selenite." she replied coolly. "Any bonds we form with those humans will disappear. So why do you care whether they like you or not? And why would you think I would care about such pointless things?"

"But Irene-" Selenite started.

"Is a means to an end." Tourmaline shot back. "There's a point to what I'm doing, just as there was is a point to us fraternizing with Pretty Cure. What's the point of that annoying class representative? Or that club you joined? Or that basketball game you just had to take part in? What strategic merit does any of that have, Selenite?"

Selenite stared wide-eyed at her twin, lost for words. "I… I just…" She looked over at Agate, who had been watching this exchange with half-lidded eyes. "Big bro?"

"Don't ask this guy. He doesn't really care." Agate said groggily. "Tourmaline's right. It's all gonna vanish eventually. So… there really isn't a point in getting attached to anything on Earth." He cast a unfocused glance in Tourmaline's direction. "You could be a little gentler about saying that, though."

Tourmaline made a derisive noise at that one. "It's for her own good."

Selenite nodded in agreement, trying to ignore how badly she was trembling now. "Of course… you're both right, Agate, Tourmaline." She cast a sad, hollow glance at her brother and sister. Why couldn't she be like the two of them. What was wrong with her? "I… I think I'll practice some myself. See you."

And then Selenite was gone in a burst of sparkling silver light. For a moment, Tourmaline looked genuinely upset at her sister's reaction. She quickly shook it off.

"Jealous? Of that? How stupid." she muttered as she stomped off. She had no destination in mind. Just… not here. "Don't let them poison you, Selenite."

Agate watched Tourmaline leave. He looked a bit distressed himself… before he sighed in resignation and closed his eyes once more.

"Sorry, Selenite." he muttered. "But… it _is_ pointless. A damn joke, really."

One that would be over soon enough, he mused as he drifted off into a mercifully dreamless slumber. Unnecessary as always, but it beat being conscious. It always did.

* * *

Selenite, as was usual these days, had lied. She had no intention of practicing. No, instead, she had beelined straight for the library. She thought of it as her own these days, although the dead atmosphere, coupled with the still, soulless bodies that littered the area made her stomach lurch in ways it hadn't before she had become Tsukiko.

The libraries back in Seizato were so much smaller, their selections and their atmosphere were so much less impressive, Selenite mused as she wandered the building, her lightless silver eyes drinking in the surroundings as she aimlessly ascended flight after flight of stairs. But they were so full of life. So warm, so inviting, so comforting. Just like this kingdom had once been. Just like the Kingdom of Crystals must have been.

How could something so lovely be so worthless? Because it was fleeting. Why did being fleeting make it bad? Because Sardonyx said so.

She had to believe that. She had no choice but to believe that. _Why couldn't she make herself believe that?_

Selenite gritted her teeth and tightened her fist before she furiously marched over to the closest bookshelf, and grabbed the first book her hand had landed on. It didn't matter what it was, anything would do, she just had to distract herself-

-and then she nearly tripped over Celes as she headed to a table to read. The younger princess of Illuster was seated on the floor nearby, Vulpecula seated next to her. She appeared to be hard at work stitching some kind of charm… or she had been until just a moment ago.

"Stomp around a bit harder, why don't you?" Celes snapped as she fixed Selenite with an icy glare. For a child, she was growing quite skilled at that. Perhaps she was taking pointers from Sardonyx? "I almost messed up my stitching!"

"Oh… I'm sorry." Selenite said quietly, offering Celes an apologetic smile before she seated herself to read. It seemed to be a history tome of some sort. That was fine. Selenite preferred fantasy stories, but educating oneself was… well, she liked it more than she'd dare admit. It too was pointless, after all.

Both girls sat in silence, Celes sewing and Selenite reading, before the former spoke again. "Aren't you wasting your time? Lady Sardonyx would be disappointed to see you goofing off instead of trying to improve yourself. Like I am." she sniffed. "That's what this is for, you know."

"I guess you're right." Selenite said… even as she refused to look up from her reading. "Sorry, Celes."

" _Lady_ Celes."

"Lady Celes." Selenite echoed dutifully. "Of course. I'm sorry."

Selenite spent a few moments longer trying to read in silence before the pressure of Celes staring at her in between her sewing became too much to bear. Even then, she did not leave. She simply ascended a few more flights of stairs, before sitting down on a nearby couch, next to the lifeless body of a deer-type Celestial Beast and opening the book once more. It fell open to a section on the Kingdom of Crystals. But…

 _There's an error with this volume._ Someone had stamped that over the chapter title. _This chapter is garbled nonsense._

"What?" Selenite muttered, staring at the book.

That wasn't right. She could clearly read this passage! What were the people of this kingdom on about? What was wrong with the people of... the people of...

…she couldn't remember the name of this kingdom. Try as she might, the name of the land the Void Clan had invaded was a complete blank.

Selenite frantically paged to another chapter in the book. She couldn't read it. The words were _there_ , but her brain wasn't connecting with them. It might has well have been garbled nonsense.

The younger twin pressed a hand to her temple, her thoughts racing about in her brain as frantically as a rabbit pursued by a fox. Just what was going on?

* * *

Yesterday's events still obviously bothering Kohaku, who nearly burned the pancakes she was making for herself and Nanami several times. Her partner might not have said anything about that outright, but it very clearly bothered her. And that was alright, Kohaku reminded herself. She wasn't burdening Nanami with her feelings, any more than Nanami was burdening her with her own. It didn't matter what that ugly part of her brain said, right?

"I think," Nanami had told Kohaku as the pair had headed to the train station that morning "it might help if you think of that anxious part of your brain as a person you dislike. Maybe not someone like your mother. Just someone you don't want to listen to. Because they're a ridiculous fool who doesn't merit your attention. "

"I think it does." Kohaku replied. "I'll try my best to do that."

And Kohaku certainly tried throughout the day. God knew she had plenty of opportunities to fight with her anxiety, knowing that she had another fencing club meeting after school, all while having zero luck actually crossing paths with Robin before that.

 _Asahina-san hates you and is avoiding you._ No, she didn't, and no, she wasn't. Kohaku was probably just unlucky, and Robin, for all her… Robin-ness was a fundamentally kind person who wouldn't hate Kohaku. _You caused this mess because you're an idiot_. No, it was an honest mistake. _If Asahina-san gets her Roaring Spark stolen, it will be your fault_. No it wouldn't be her fault, and if it did happen, she and Nanami would fix it.

It was hard work, shutting down that ugly little monster in her brain, but the more Kohaku tried, the easier it became. She could almost believe that she had gotten a handle on her anxiety.

That was, until she had taken off for fencing practice. Then her heart began to beat a mile a minute, despite her better intentions, as that awful little entity began to whisper in her ear. And then she had approached the gym building, to find Robin idling outside, an expectant look on her face. Immediately, Kohaku's blood pressure went through the roof as her mind retreated into a blind panic of oh god what do I say and what if I say it incorrectly and what if she really is angry at me and what if-

Kohaku stared at Robin. Robin stared right back. Both girls remained like that for several moments… and then both dropped into a bow of apology.

"I'm so sorry for yesterday, Shishi-chi! Please forgive me!"

"I'm really sorry, Asahina-san! I shouldn't have assumed things!"

Both girls hesitated for a moment longer before they straightened up, looked at one another, blinked slowly… and then broke into relieved laughter.

"Oh man... that was easier than I thought it'd be." Kohaku said.

"I'll say!" Robin said. "Sheesh, all that worrying about how to phrase things, and…" She pursed her lips, casting a glance at the fencing hall, before she approached Kohaku. "Hey… could we talk a little more? Yuzu said it might help. Besides, even without me, everyone will do their best at practice. I believe in them. So, can we?"

Kohaku seemed a bit hesitant at this proposal, but nevertheless, she nodded, allowing Robin to lead her away from the gym building.

* * *

"And that's why you threw the match?" Robin asked, once Kohaku had explained it. Both girls were idling by a chain-link fence at the border of Sorairo's campus, placing their conversation far away from any of the club activities going on at present and hopefully far from any prying ears.

"That's right." Kohaku said. "I was raised not to stand out. To devote myself wholly to other people. So when I thought you were angry at me for outdoing you, I panicked."

"I'm so sorry." Robin said. "I've never once felt that way about you! I don't care that you're more skilled than I am, Kohaku. I like how brightly you let yourself shine these days! It made me upset, seeing you try to quash that light of yours." Her face fell. "Just wish I could be hapy about Reenie and Yuu-chi's too."

"It's alright to feel down about it." Kohaku said. "Nanami was heartbroken when her sister had to leave, and I didn't think she was unreasonable for that. Why are you any different, Robin?"

Robin looked away, gripping the fence a bit. "Kohaku… you know why I live with my aunt, right?" Kohaku's perplexed silence was all the permission Robin needed to keep going. "My home life back in Georgia wasn't the best. My parents were at each other's throats a lot. And I didn't focus on keeping the peace any. I just cared about me and mine. And where I'm from, a girl who loves girls is…

"I didn't even think about it. I was so focused on pursing my own happiness that I just. Went for it. Invited her home, wasn't careful about how we were acting, and he…" Robin smiled sadly. "I didn't know there were so many ways you could call your own child a 'selfish brat'!" She laughed, clearly trying to brighten the mood. It didn't work. Her laughter was far too broken-sounding to accomplish such a thing.

"And that's why you were sent here?" Kohaku said. "Because of a small thing like that?"

"Well, yeah." Robin said. "I'm not saying it's right! It's bullshit!" She stomped her foot for emphasis on the last bit. "Dressing like I do, acting like I do, loving Yuzu like I do… I won't apologize for any of it!" She remained proudly resolute for a moment longer before her mood crumbled again. "But because they sent us away, because Irene couldn't adapt like I could, she…" Her shoulders trembled as her eyes welled with tears. "Irene has been all alone, because I…"

Kohaku laid a gentle hand on Robin's trembling shoulder. "You weren't selfish." she said. "And it wasn't your fault."

Robin looked at Kohaku, teary-eyed. For once, the sun was lost for words.

"Nanami was hurt badly when we were kids." Kohaku said. "And my mother did everything in her power to make me believe that I deserved to hate myself for it. It's taken me a long time to realize this, and it's still hard to believe some days, but she lied to me. I don't think you're wrong for feeling hurt, Robin, any more than I was. And I don't think Irene hates you either."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I felt the same way about Nanami for a long time." Kohaku said. "But in fact, she had never resented me. Not once. She was just waiting for her friend to come back."

Robin said nothing in response. Instead, she stared at Kohaku for a few moments before pulling the younger girl into a very tight hug. She remained like that for some time, sniffling a little as she audibly struggled to regain her composure before finally breaking away from Kohaku.

"Well…" Robin took a deep breath before straightening up and dabbing at her eyes a bit. "I think I'm feeling better now! Let's hurry, Kohacchi! Can't keep the team waiting!" She tipped a wink at Kohaku before dashing towards the fencing hall.

Kohaku sighed heavily as she stared after Robin. That was not a reassuring sight. No, Robin was doing the same thing Nanami did – trying to force herself to be 'over it' in a certain frame of time, lest she inconvenience others. With how things were going, she really needed to keep her guard up for the Void Clan's appearance, she mused as she headed towards the fencing hall herself, oblivious to how keenly the numerous birds in the area had been staring after her and Robin.

* * *

Once Kohaku finally caught up with Robin, she was greeted with a surprising sight – the entire fencing team, who had gathered outside of the fencing hall, clearly waiting for the return of their two missing members. Judging by how Robin had stopped in her tracks and was staring in bafflement at the sight of the turnout, she found it every bit as shocking as Kohaku did.

"Everyone!" Robin's mouth worked silently for a few moments before she spoke again. "Why are you…?"

"Because we were all worried about you, silly!" Taeko said. "Jeez, both of you… between our captain short-circuiting and our MVP spacing, I was kinda fearing for our team."

"Are you feeling better, Asahina-san?" another fencing team member asked.

"What about you, Shishioh-san?" asked yet another team member. "Do you need a bit more time before we start?"

"I don't think so." Kohaku said. "I'm ready to go – how about you, Robin?"

"Of course! I feel like a million today!" Robin pumped her fist enthusiastically. The old sparkle in her eyes wasn't back, but she at least sounded a little better. "Now, let's get in there and-"

Before Robin could finish her sentence, a strong gust of wind kicked up, nearly bowling everyone present over. Once it dissipated, the fencing team was met with the sight of numerous birds dotting the area… along with Tourmaline, who fixed Robin with a cold stare as she approached the group.

"My, you're a terrible liar." she said coolly. "Your Roaring Spark tells an _entirely_ different story."

Most everyone present in the fencing team was abuzz with panic. The only exceptions were Taeko, who was already assuming a fighting stance, Kohaku, who was already reaching for her Roaring Compact, even knowing she could not transform in front of everyone like this… and Robin, who had stepped forwards, brandishing her practice sword like it was the genuine article as she faced down Tourmaline, who simply rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers, summoning a circle of blue runes at Robin's feet.

"Don't worry about me!" said Robin, who either didn't notice or didn't care that she was trapped. "I'll be fine. Please get out of here!" As most everyone in the fencing club scattered off, she stared down Tourmaline. "And you!" She assumed a fighting stance. "If you don't fear the shine of the sun, then bring it on!"

"But Asahina-san!" protested Taeko, who had yet to flee.

"Don't 'but Asahina-san' me! Please go!" A note of desperation had crept into Robin's voice. As Taeko took off and Tourmaline advanced on her, Robin's eyes flickered to Kohaku. "It's okay." she said quietly. "You can transform if you want to. I figured it out a while ago, Pretty Cure."

Kohaku's eyes widened in shock… before she nodded and readied her Roaring Compact. "Medal, Set! Pretty Cure Roaring Rebirth!" There was a flash of sparking orange light, and Cure Leo touched down in front of a stunned Robin in a shower of orange sparkles, her long, platinum-blond hair and her fur-trimmed cape billowing magnificently in the wind as she stared down Tourmaline. "Guardian of the wind that sweeps through the plains! Tempest Knight, Cure Leo!"

Before Tourmaline could remove Robin's Roaring Spark, Leo had thrown herself towards her. The orange Cure generated one of her energy swords as she sprang backwards and into the air, aiming a leaping slash with one of her energy swords at Tourmaline, who was forced to summon her crossbow to parry the blow before swinging it at Leo, who used her shield to deflect the attack. The two broke away from one another, with Tourmaline attempting to beeline for Robin again, before Leo sprang forwards her, drawing her opponent into a high-flying rapid-fire exchange of elemental fisticuffs as the two leapt towards one another, broke away, and then moved to exchange blows again.

"I won't let you touch her!" Leo said as she aimed a hail of lightning-charged punches at Tourmaline. Her opponent was as swift and evasive as always, making it difficult to so much as touch her, but Leo could feel herself catching up to Tourmaline's speed just a bit – she had managed to at least graze the other girl a few times where the latter would have sidestepped her blows before, and even Tourmaline seemed just a little rattled at that. "Not this time!"

Tourmaline sniffed dismissively, even as she narrowly avoided a lightning-charged punch in the stomach from Leo. "Why are you even trying?" she asked. "Even if you did stop me, we'd still come back for her."

Tourmaline sprang backwards, aiming a wind-charged leaping kick at Leo. The orange Cure leapt to evade it, only to be promptly sent flying as Tourmaline, emboldened by her successful feint, aimed another high-leaping kick at her opponent, before following up with yet another jump kick, sending the airborne Leo crashing heavily onto the ground.

"All emotions, all dreams, all willpower in this world will fade away eventually." Tourmaline said as she advanced on Leo, her lightless gold eyes shining with something between triumph and desperation. "By erasing all fleeting, worthless things, we're simply speeding up the inevitable."

As Leo gritted her teeth in pain and levered herself off the ground, Robin broke into a short burst of dry laughter, a reaction that had both Leo and Tourmaline staring at her in bafflement.

"My… what a defeatist thing to say!" Robin either didn't notice or didn't care about how vulnerable she really was at present. "And your tone is… you say edgy things like that, but you really don't believe what's coming out of your mouth at all, do you?"

Tourmaline turned on Robin, her irises shrinking slightly with fury. " _What_?"

Leo's eyes widened in alarm as she sprang to her feet and rushed towards Robin at top speed in an attempt to place herself in between her upperclassman and Tourmaline… only for the other girl to effortlessly smack her aside with a high-pressure burst of razor wind the very second she got too close.

Before the orange Cure could do anything further, Tourmaline extended her hand towards Robin. "Roaring Spark!" she cried, an edge of angry desperation in her voice as the gem on the back of her right hand glowed and Robin cried out in pain. "Come forth!"

"Damn it!" Leo hissed as Robin's Roaring Spark was ripped out of her chest before blackening and sinking back into it, like so many victims before her.

"That's right." A malicious smile that Tourmaline did not entirely feel played on her lips as Robin was surrounded in that all-too-familiar cocoon of dark violet energy. "I am a loyal servant of the Void Clan. These are the only uses such fleeting things have for one like myself."

* * *

There was no library committee meeting this afternoon, but Nanami couldn't bring herself to return home anyway, not after her discussion with Kohaku. The prospect of potentially leaving her partner alone against an Utsuroid was too much to entertain for even a second. So she had ended up going along with Yuzuki, who looked no less pensive than she did at the moment, the two girls deep in thought as they placed posters advertising the softball team's latest tournament around the school.

"Robin did sound a bit better this morning. I'm still worried, though." Yuzuki said as she finished placing the last of the posters on the column supporting one of the school's outdoor walkways. "You really can't tell with her sometimes."

"Yeah..." Nanami replied. "I'm sure she and Kohaku were able to make up in the end. Neither of them strike me as the type to hold grudges. But I..."

Whatever Nanami was going to say next trailed off into silence as her eyes were drawn towards the sky over the gym building, which was beginning to darken, Yuzuki letting out a quiet gasp of distress as her gaze followed afterwards. So she had been right to linger after all.

"Oh no..." Yuzuki said quietly. "Nanami... was it like that when I-?"

"It was." Nanami readied her Roaring Compact... only for Yuzuki to blow past her. "Yuzuki!"

"She's my partner, Nanami!" Yuzuki said as she dashed towards what had to be the site of a newly-created Utsuroid with a resolve that suggested she, not Nanami, was the magical girl meant to fight it off. "I can't leave her alone!"

Nanami wasted no time in taking off after Yuzuki, both because she couldn't leave her own partner alone either and because she certainly couldn't let her friend potentially place herself right in the line of fire.

* * *

As Leo faced down the dark violet sphere that had surrounded Robin, said sphere dissipated to reveal a towering Utsuroid. Its head was shaped like an ornate sun sculpted from bronze, with two empty gold eyes staring out above a painted-on smile and a forehead inset with a gold-trimmed dark blue gem, and sat atop a black, stalk-like body with a three-legged base and two stalks growing out of both of its sides, each of which sported smaller bronze suns, both sporting painted-on grins at the ends.

"It's fine like this! It's completely fine like this!" the Utsuroid cried as the twin suns at the ends of its arms glowed, sending a volley of fireballs at Leo, who was forced to scramble to avoid them. "I'm the sun! I'm here to shine for others!" As Leo broke through the volley of fireballs and landed a leaping slash across its body, it smacked her aside before firing a burst of flame her way, forcing her to roll out of its path as it left a series of nasty-looking scorch marks on the ground. "That's right! That's right, isn't it?"

"No, it's not!" Leo mentally prayed that Delphinus got here soon as she continued to avoid the Utsuroid's attacks and attempt to break through its guard, because there was little she could do against these flames with her own power set. "Nobody exists simply to serve others, Robin!"

"Pithy words, coming from you." Tourmaline sniffed derisively as she watched Leo struggle agains the Utsuroid. "Weren't you arguing the opposite not long ago?" As Leo was smacked aside by the Utsuroid once more, she added "You should have remained that way. Look how little you can do on your own!"

As the battle unfolded, Selenite watched the proceedings from her spot atop the classroom building. Logically, she needed to cheer for Tourmaline, but...

The younger twin stared down at her hands, feeling her stomach lurch as she remembered what she had read last night and the feverish, frantic hunt through the library's materials that had followed. There had been so many entries on the Kingdom of Crystals disregarded by that kingdom's librarians. So many entries on that dead kingdom and who knew how many others that she could not read. What was going on? And what were the three of them really here for?

"You're right!" Leo said even as she continued to fight what was rapidly turning into a losing battle. "I can't do this on my own! That's why I have my partner! And that's why I'll fight with all my heart until she arrives!"

Moments later, Leo's ears were met with the sound of frantic footsteps behind her... but it wasn't Nanami. It was Yuzuki, who stared at the Utsuroid with wide, horrified eyes. The Utsuroid stared right back, with something that seemed almost like recognition before Yuzuki succumbed to its influence and collapsed to the ground.

Now was Leo's chance. She sprang upwards, aiming another leaping slash at the Utsuroid, only for Tourmaline to expertly intercept her, smacking her away with her crossbow before firing a volley of wind arrows at the orange Cure, who could not deflect all of them with her cape, try as she might.

"Utsuroid!" Tourmaline cried.

"I'll shine, I'll shine brilliantly!" the Utsuroid cried as it rounded on Leo. "If I can't shine... if I can't help others, then what good am I?"

The Utsuroid fired a burst of flame at the orange Cure, who was too stunned to evade the blow-

-which never connected. Cure Delphinus stood in front of her partner, her shield having absorbed the Utsuroid's attack.

"Sorry I'm late!" the pink Cure said.

Leo just smiled. "Don't worry - you're right on time."

As Leo hit the ground running, trying her best to divert the Utsuroid's attention, Delphinus summoned her Blossom Flute in a burst of pink light, another burst of inspriation suddenly floating into her mind the moment her Melody Arm appeared for her.

"Mode change!" Delphinus called as the Blossom Flute suddenly extended in length, becoming an ornate magic wand with a flower gem at the tip. "Blossom Scepter!"

As Leo drew the Utsuroid's attention, Delphinus dashed towards it from the opposite direction, using the Blossom Scepter to fire powerful blasts of water towards the Utsuroid's fireballs, neutralizing its attacks and giving Leo openings to strike it with her energy swords.

"Damn it!" Tourmaline hissed. "Utsuroid! Do something!"

The face of the Utsuroid suddenly flashed with an intense, blinding light. Delphinus and Leo were left unable to see a thing for a few seconds, allowing the Utsuroid to easily send them flying towards the gym building. As both Cures hit the side of the building heavily, the Utsuroid rounded on them.

"I want to be good enough! For Reenie, for Yuzu, for Kohaku! I don't want to hurt anyone again! I don't! I don't!"

The Utsuroid, which seemed to be struggling with itself for a moment, gave a cry of anguish as it fired an immense burst of flame towards the Cures - and by proxy, the gym building. Delphinus' eyes widened in horror before she readied her Blossom Scepter, gritting her teeth as she held it sideways in front of her. A barrier of pink mist extended out in front of her, dissipating the flames before they could hit the gym building and keeping all within safe from harm, but...

...if Delphinus moved even an inch, everyone inside the gym would be torched. And the flames just kept coming, at a rate that Delphinus didn't seem prepared to hold off for much longer.

"Robin, please stop!" Leo cried as held Delphinus' arm, doing her best to keep her partner stable. "This isn't like you! You don't shine to hurt others! So please!"

"Don't be a fool, Leo." Tourmaline sniffed. "She can't hear you. Not anymore." She dashed towards Delphinus, clearly intending to knock her out and render her and Leo easy targets for the Utsuroid's flames.

Leo immediately broke away from Delphinus and dashed towards Tourmaline. She aimed several electricity-charged blows at her opponent, who dodged them effortlessly before easily smacking the orange Cure aside.

"Pathetic." Tourmaline sneered. "Even now, you're ultimately a weakling. You haven't changed one bit, Leo."

Leo stared at Tourmaline with faltering vivid orange eyes, even as she watched her partner struggle to keep the gym building from being torched. That was Tourmaline's cue to strike, aiming a leaping wind-charged punch at the orange Cure... who effortlessly caught her punch in her hand.

"You're wrong." Leo said quietly as she stared down Tourmaline, who went in for another blow, only for the orange Cure to expertly deflect it with her shield, driving her backwards. "I have changed. I still have a long way to go, but I have changed!"

"Leo…" Delphinus' voice was strained with exertion. Sweat beaded on her face, and she felt her energy ebb away slowly in the face of the strain of holding off the Utsuroid's flames. Even then, she refused to back down. She had to hold on until Leo could help her end this fight, no matter how hopeless it seemed at present. "For your sake... for everyone's sake... I will not give up!"

"The girl who saw herself as a tool... the girl who tried so hard to erase herself... I am no longer that girl!" Leo said. "I will shine! Not just for others but for myself as well!"

Leo's heart began to shine with blindingly radiant orange light as her Roaring Compact spun rapidly. The sound of an electric guitar played as it sparkled with orange light, driving back Tourmaline and leading Selenite to flinch and avert her eyes.

A globe of orange light appeared before Leo before resolving into an orange and yellow electrict guitar with eight rainbow-colored strings, an orange diamond-shaped crystal at the end of its handle and tan accents. Leo wasted no time in grabbing hold of it, feeling a wave of power shoot through her body as the words for what to say next floated into her head.

"Sparkle and crash brilliantly!" Leo said as she wielded the guitar with the firm resolve of a lady knight. "Melody Arm - Tempest Guitar!"

"Two of them..." Selenite muttered... even as she moved to cover her ears, knowing what was sure to follow.

Leo began to play the Tempest Guitar, producing a series of rousing chords that had Tourmaline covering her ears in pain and stunned the Utsuroid momentarily, causing its flames to dissipate. That was Delphinus' cue to dash forwards, driving the Utsuroid backwards with a water-charged punch before she used the Blossom Scepter to aim a high-pressure burst of water towards the gem on its forehead, cracking it down the middle. As Leo continued to play, a strong wind kicked up about her, as numerous small orange lightning bolts danced about the area.

"Pretty Cure!" Leo cried as the lightning bolts she had created converged closer and closer towards the Utsuroid. "Tempest Rock!" Leo pointed the Tempest guitar towards the Utsuroid, leading multiple orange lightning bolts to strike it from all sides, causing its gem to shatter completely in the resulting heart-shaped, rainbow-colored blast. As this went on behind her, Leo bowed before flipping her hair casually.

"So warm..." the Utsuroid said as it gave off multicolored energy, which flowed towards Delphinus and Leo's Roaring Compacts, before its form resolved into that of an unconscious Robin, whose now-pristine Roaring Spark sunk back into her chest as she was deposited back onto the ground.

"Damn it!" Tourmaline hissed, glaring at both Cures with ice-cold hatred. "This isn't over! Power up all you want - you'll still lose in the end!"

And then she was gone in an upward gust of wind. Selenite watched her sister depart, a pensive expression on her face, before she too vanished in a burst of sparkling silver light.

Delphinus and Leo stared at one another in the wake of Tourmaline's angry departure before both girls broke into relieved laughter and high-fived one another.

"Thank goodness..." Delphinus sighed as she took in the scorch-mark littered battlefield the gym building's surroundings had turned into. "That was pretty cool, Leo."

"You think so?" Leo felt a bit of heat rise to her face. "I... I thought so too, honestly." She shuffled awkwardly as she regained her bearings before adding "Let's put on a beautiful duet together next time."

Now it was Delphinus' turn to flush a little, even as she beamed visibly at the prospect. "I look forwards to it!"

* * *

"Robin? Robin, are you alright?"

Robin's eyes slowly fluttered open as Yuzuki's concerned face came into focus. Her girlfriend was seated on the ground, leaving Robin's head to rest in her lap as she gently ran her fingers through her hair. Nanami and Kohaku lingered near her, both looking nearly as worried as Yuzuki did.

"Huh... Yuzu?" Robin said groggily... before her eyes widened and she pulled herself to a kneeling position. "Oh god... I think I remember... were you...?"

Yuzu nodded solemnly. "I only caught a short glimpse, but... I'm so glad you never had to see me like that. And..." She pulled Robin into a tight hug as she burst into tears. "Thank god you're okay!" As she hugged her girlfriend close, she shot a tearful glance at Nanami and Kohaku. "Pretty Cure... thank you so much for saving her!"

"It was our pleasure." Nanami said.

"You and Robin are our precious friends, after all." Kohaku said. "We'll definitely make sure to protect you."

"Can you stand?" Yuzuki asked Robin once the two parted from their embrace.

"Yeah, I think I'm good." Robin said as she allowed Yuzuki to help her to her feet. She took a deep breath, steeling herself. "Well... I guess I'd better get back to practice. I'm not gonna let a monster attack put the sun down for too long!"

"Please, don't force yourself!" Yuzuki said. "For heavens' sake, you were just-"

"I'll be okay." Robin said. "Well, okay... ish? It'd help me some if you stuck around for moral support. The sun is nothing without the moon to brilliantly reflect her shine, after all!"

"Oh, gladly!" Yuzuki said. "I do love watching your swordplay, Robin. It's just one of the many things I adore about you."

"I think I might like to stick around as well." Nanami said. "I have no other plans at present... and besides, it only seems right to support my partner however I can. That's the way to be, right, Yuzuki?"

"But of course." Yuzuki replied, shooting a wry smile towards the now beet red Robin and Kohaku... both of whom were holding back, even as their respective partners headed towards the fencing hall. "Robin?"

"You two can go ahead." Robin said. "I'll be there in a sec - there's something I want to ask Kohacchi." As Nanami and Yuzuki departed, Robin sighed wistfully... before growing a bit more somber as she looked at Kohaku. "So... I was thinking." she said quietly. "We have a lot in common. I think it might help both of us if we're able to talk more honestly about..." She looked down at the ground, tracing an awkward pattern in the dirt with her sneaker. "You know."

"Yeah..." Kohaku said.

"But at the same time, we're pretty different as well." Robin said. "And that... that's good. I like it. I have stuff to learn from you, seems like. Stuff like..." She paused uncomfortably. "Well, you're much quieter and more anxious than loud, sunny ol' me. Kinda like Reenie. And I know I kind of put you off our first day by being... you know how I am, and the more I think about it, the more I feel like I do that with her too."

"I did notice that the other day." Kohaku replied. "If you're asking how to better approach her, I think I could help with that? Because thinking about it, I think that might be half of the wall between you two." She smiled. "And in return, I think I could learn a few things from you too, Robin. I wouldn't mind borrowing some of your self-confidence, honestly."

"Oh gosh, thanks." Robin said. "I mean, you deserve to be much more self-confident anyway, Kohaku." As she headed towards the fencing hall entrance, she shot a gleaming smile and a wink in the younger girl's direction. "To be honest - you rock!" She entered the fencing hall, laughing at her own pun all the while.

"That..." Kohaku started. "Oh my god, that was _terrible_!" She laughed in a mixture of relief and exasperation as she took off after Robin.

Yuu watched her enemies and their friends depart from her vantage point far from the gym building, her face an icy mask as the wind rustled her hair. "Laugh all you want." she said coldly. "In the end, victory will be ours."

Tsukiko did not look one half as invested in this as her sister did. She said nothing. She didn't have to. The uncomfortable expression on her face was enough to earn her a contemptuous glare from her twin.

"I am a warrior of the Void Clan, here to erase all Roaring Sparks." Yuu said. "Nothing more, nothing less. _My_ resolve is quite clear."

Tsukiko's eyes flicked towards the ground, feeling her stomach turn a bit more, even as her sister took off... only to pause in her tracks and stare after her.

"Come on, Selenite." Yuu said coolly. "We're going."

"Understood, Tourmaline." Tsukiko replied lifelessly. She dutifully fell into step with her sister, trying to remain as blank-faced as she was, even as the anxiety stirred up by the doubts that plagued her heart and the questions elicited by last night's library visit crackled in her head like intrusive static. She had to shut such things out. She had to deny all distractions, all doubts, all disloyal thoughts. She would remind herself of that until all of this was finally erased. And then all would be well.

Right?


	11. Episode Eleven

**Episode Eleven** : Tsubasa's Secret! The Path of the Blue Hurricane!

* * *

 **A/N** : Warning for some brief mentions of transphobia!

* * *

Selenite never had managed to understand how Tourmaline could approach Sardonyx so easily, let alone actively seek out her company. She had no choice but to respect Sardonyx, given everything she had done for the Void Triad, but she was also afraid of her, and that fear just grew as time went on. Sometimes, there was something about her that made Selenite's blood run cold. Something alien behind her eyes and something within her aura. Something she could not stand to be around.

Having her siblings around made it harder for this fear to take hold. But right now, Selenite had to seek out Sardonyx on her own, given everything she had learned through her research these past few days. Bothering Tourmaline or Agate about it wouldn't help. She doubted they would take what she found seriously anyway.

After hunting around for a while, Selenite found Sardonyx in one of the castle's sitting rooms with Celes. Selenite had expected that. The young girl had stuck to Sardonyx like glue after her formal integration into the Void Clan.

Celes was seated on the floor, Vulpecula balanced on her lap as the princess infused bursts of magic into each new stitch of her sewing project. Sardonyx was lounging on a nearby chair. There was a half-opened book in her lap and what looked like the half-hearted start of her own sewing project lying nearby, but she seemed far more interested in what Celes was doing.

"My, that's coming along quite nicely." Sardonyx said. "You really are quite the mage, Celes."

"Just wait until I actually finish it, Lady Sardonyx." Celes did not look up from her sewing as she spoke."Pretty Cure won't know what hit them!"

Selenite hesitated in the doorway, suddenly overcome by anxiety and yet too determined to share what she had learned to run away. She might have stayed there forever, had Celes not finally noticed her.

"Why are you staring at us like that?" she asked contemptuously. "It's creepy."

"Oh, I…" Selenite averted her eyes from Celes. "I'm sorry, I…"

"What is it?" Sardonyx's tone was gentle enough to lure Selenite into the sitting room. "It must be important if you sought me out like this."

"That is correct, Lady Sardonyx." Selenite said. "I have a few findings I would like to report to you."

Celes made a harsh noise of annoyance under her breath, but Sardonyx looked genuinely interested, and that was enough to get Selenite to speak.

And so Selenite explained the situation - the confusion she had felt after she found the history tome, her frantic search through the library archives for evidence that anyone in this kingdom remembered that the Kingdom of Crystals had ever existed, of feverishly combing through every database only to be met with scores of unreadable entries, of realizing that the details about this kingdom had faded out of her mind, and finally, of wrestling with the implications of what she had found.

"I think… I think we may have made a mistake, Lady Sardonyx." Selenite hoped Sardonyx did not notice how badly she was trembling. "Maybe they never ignored us. Maybe they didn't know we were there to begin with."

Celes stared at Selenite in the wake of her explanation. Vulpecula seemed to stare right along with her. Both the princess and her doll looked just a little distressed at the moment, and the former's mouth was forming an unspoken 'You mean, I…'

Sardonyx looked a bit rattled by the news. She looked from Celes to Selenite and back again, her mouth working silently, before-

-her body suddenly jerked violently, as if she were little more than an oversized marionette, before she suddenly went slouching forwards and onto the ground.

Selenite flew to her boss' side. "Lady Sardonyx!"

Celes was not quite as quick about this. Her attention had been drawn towards the shadow Sardonyx was casting on the floor. For a moment, it had looked very unlike its owner. Its hair was much longer, its figure was smaller, and Celes could spot the faint shapes of an ornate crown and a fur stole, neither of which Sardonyx wore.

Sardonyx pulled herself into a kneeling position, only to cringe and whimper miserably in pain. She gritted her teeth as she held her hands to her head, as if she were suffering from a migraine headache.

"Are you alright, Lady Sardonyx?" Selenite asked tentatively, knowing her boss was very much not alright. And unlike before, she couldn't chalk this up to overexertion.

That was Celes' cue to forget her confusion over Sardonyx's shadow and fly to her side. "Get away from her!" she snapped at Selenite, who flinched backwards as if she had been struck. "It's your fault she's like this!"

Sardonyx was unresponsive for a moment. And then she suddenly got back up and casually brushed her hair from her face, as if her prior episode had never happened.

"There is nothing to worry about. I am fine." She _sounded_ like Sardonyx, but there was something alien lurking behind her eyes and something odd about her tone. "However, I am terribly disappointed in you, Selenite."

Selenite stared at Sardonyx in bafflement. "Lady Sardonyx?"

"I am appalled that you would waste my time with inane lies like those." Sardonyx sniffed. "I brought you three about after this kingdom let my people wither away, and this is how you repay me? I thought you were better than this."

"I wasn't…" Selenite protested "I wasn't lying at all, Lady Sardonyx, I can _show_ you-"

Sardonyx fixed Selenite with a withering glare. "My will is tantamount to all. You three exist simply to serve that will." She smiled, a bit too widely. "I do not think it will turn out well for you, should you forget that."

"I haven't forgotten!" Celes cried. "Lady Sardonyx, _I_ won't forget! I'll make sure to serve you!"

"I am well aware." Sardonyx said. "I know _you_ will not disappoint me, Celes."

Selenite looked from her suddenly very unnerving boss to the little princess and back again, biting back the urge to burst into tears all the while. "I… I see." she mumbled before backing out of the room. "Sorry to be a bother, Lady Sardonyx!"

Selenite bowed hastily and tore out of the room as if her life depended on it. Her blind flight away from Sardonyx nearly sent her crashing into Agate, who had been idling in a nearby hall. Her older brother caught her gently by the shoulder just in time. His calm expression faltered once he caught the look of distress written on her face.

"So, you did go to Lady Sardonyx." Agate's tone was somewhere between genuine sympathy and 'I told you so'. "Selenite, you had to know that wasn't gonna work out."

Selenite's eyes dropped to the ground as Agate spoke. "Part of me was scared it wouldn't." she said quietly, before looking up, her gaze much more passionate. "But... I don't want to fight for something that's based on lies, big bro! After what I found-"

Agate shook his head. "Just drop it, Selenite. There are things you're better off not knowing. And things you're better off not forgetting." He stared off into the distance past his sister. "No matter where we go, no matter what we do, we are warriors of the Void Clan. We exist to serve her will. That's all there is to it."

"But I was thinking-" Selenite began.

"That's a dangerous pastime, Selenite." Agate swept past his sister, an unreadable expression on his face. "Just focus on our marching orders."

Agate forced himself to keep walking forwards, even as Selenite's miserable-sounding muffled sobbing caught his ears. He knew if he looked back, he'd see how devastated his sister was, and he would start actually wanting to do something to help her. Or maybe he would finally hit his breaking point, hearing her _believe_ in something like that, and…

...no, that would be cruel. Even if he had no real business hoping for anything, it was only fair to let his little sisters hold onto _something_ until the end.

* * *

Yuu still couldn't believe she had ended up in the park like this, silently directing birds to perch around and occasionally land on Misaki as if her classmate were some fairytale princess, while her one friend took pictures of her and the other pestered her for her input on the pictures. She could chart the sequence of events that had led her there, true, but she was still amazed at herself for agreeing to something as dumb as this.

Yuu had been at Rainbow Connections that afternoon, as had become customary for her. It seemed to be the easiest way to Irene's Roaring Spark. Irene herself had been in high spirits the past few days. Apparently, she and Robin were on much better terms now.

'It was amazing.' Irene had proudly informed Yuu the day after she had attacked the sun girl for her Roaring Spark. 'She didn't get in my face, she kept checking to see if I was comfortable when we talked, and she let me lead the conversation. Did you talk to her?'

"Something like that." Yuu had replied, knowing full well that she had barely done anything.

Irene had immediately pulled Yuu into a tight hug and quietly thanked her. The sudden physical contact had been jarring for Yuu, but she could forget her offense at it in light of how the barrier around Irene's Roaring Spark had eroded that much more… and the strange feelings that being thanked so sincerely and treated with such affection had elicited in the pit of her stomach.

Even now, it was clear that Irene was that much more comfortable around Yuu… and equally clear that these strange feelings were not going to go away easily. But that was fine, Yuu had told herself as she settled in for another afternoon at Rainbow Connections. Once she had accomplished her goal, those feelings would surely vanish.

And then those three had shown up, and Yuu's afternoon plans had been promptly derailed.

"And there she is!" Misaki, who Yuu had barely recognized, between her pink wig and pink contacts, the ornate princess dress and the equally flashy accessories and makeup, chirped. "See, Sakkun, I told you we'd find Yuu here!"

"I guess you did, huh?" Sakuya, who was carrying around a camera bag and looking very much as if he had somewhere else to be, muttered absently. His Roaring Spark was nowhere near being ready to harvest, Yuu idly noted, but it was beginning to shine quite nicely. Interesting.

"What do you want." Yuu fixed the trio with a blank stare as Irene hid behind her. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

And so, the three had explained their situation, or rather, Misaki and Taeko had explained, and Sakuya made the odd noise of assertion. Apparently, they were having some kind of photoshoot for that 'Mai Heart' character they had cooked up, and they wanted to borrow Yuu.

"You're some kind of bird whisperer, right?" Misaki asked. "That would add just the right amount of fairytale princess essence to this photoshoot! _And_ this is kind of your project too! So please?"

"I guess that sounds reasonable." Yuu said. "However, I-"

Irene stepped out from behind Yuu, holding out her notepad to the Hero Club. 'I accept. At a price. 1800 yen - take it or leave it'.

"Looks good to me!" Misaki had chirped. "I'll throw in a free hair accessory while I'm at it!"

And so here Yuu was now, in the park, helping with this inane nonsense. The only reason she even played at being interested in it was because Irene clearly was. And it was all about earning Irene's loyalty in the end. Well, that, and…

...there was the matter of whatever was going on with Sakuya. The boy had looked a bit spaced out through the entirety of the photoshoot, and at this point, he had forgotten about Misaki entirely in favor of staring wistfully into space. Yuu had no idea what was on his mind, but from the look of his Roaring Spark, it had to be something of note.

"Hey… Sakkun? Aren't you gonna take the shot?" said Misaki, who was trying her best to convey the impression of a storybook princess as she posed in a particularly sun-dappled area of the park, a bird resting on her extended hand.

Sakuya blinked a few times before mumbling a non-committal "Oh yeah, sure." and snapping a few half-hearted pictures of Misaki.

That was Taeko's cue to bound in Sakuya's direction and lean towards him. "Everything going okay, Sakkun? You seem kinda out of it - is there anything I can do?"

Sakuya looked away. "It's nothing, Taeko. I'm fine."

"But you're usually so gung-ho about this!" The bird Yuu had called flew away as Misaki hurried to Sakuya's side. "More than the two of us girls combined! And Mai Heart is nothing without all three of her loyal allies!"

Yuu rolled her eyes at that one. Luckily, none of the Hero Club noticed.

"Yeah!" Taeko said. "Without your photography skills, your sense of style, and your assistance with Misaki-chan's costumes, we'd be up a creek! I dunno about Yuu, but you definitely run circles around us two on those subjects! If you're off your game, we're all off our game!"

Sakuya hesitated for a moment… and wordlessly began to put his camera away.

"Oh?" Yuu said. "Have somewhere to be, Futaki-san?"

"Not really." Sakuya said. "I was just thinking… it really is weird for a guy like me to be into things like this, isn't it?"

"Don't say that, Sakkun!" Misaki said. "Who cares about stuff like that?"

"Plenty of people do." Sakuya said matter-of-factly, before slinging his camera bag over his shoulder. As he walked past Yuu, he added "Maybe they can teach you to operate a camera. I'm sure you'd be great at it, Yuu."

'What was that about?' Irene wrote, once Sakuya had taken off, hitting the ground running once Misaki and Taeko started protesting. 'Boys are weird.'

"Who knows?" Yuu said. " _People_ are weird."

All she knew was that it would serve the Void Clan's purposes. That was all that mattered. That was all that would ever matter.

* * *

Tsubasa was more than a little pensive today and with good reason, as Nanami and Kohaku had quickly learned that morning. Tomorrow would be her mother's birthday, and said mother had been dead for several years.

"Shooting Star's closed on that day, and I'll probably be out for most of it." Tsubasa had informed the two before they left for school. "We used to take time off to celebrate her birthday together, and I'd feel weird stopping now."

Tsubasa had left it at that, and neither Nanami nor Kohaku felt inclined to press her for details. That still didn't stop Nanami from worrying about Tsubasa, even as she sat at one of Shooting Star's tables, hard at work on creating the paper puppets she'd be using during the library committee's visit. The cafe owner looked terribly pensive the entire time and had been distracted enough to serve Hisao, who was at his usual spot at the counter, the wrong brew at one point.

"I'm worried about Tsubasa." Kohaku, who was seated across from Nanami, said between sips of her iced coffee. "I've never seen her look this tense before."

"It is quite concerning." Nanami said as she finished coloring in her latest puppet. "It's understandable, though. I don't know how I would fare if Mother was lost to me forever."

"Yeah, I guess it would be hard." Kohaku would not have missed Alexandria at all, but she knew enough about how well Nanami and Lucinda got along to understand the pain it would leave her partner in.

And then Sakuya suddenly stormed into Shooting Star with the bearing of a man on a mission before depositing himself on the stool next to Hisao.

"Welcome, Futaki-san!" said Tsubasa. "What can I get you today?"

"I'd like a-" Sakuya started, before he cut himself off and looked over at Hisao, clearly trying to see what he was drinking. "A black coffee. Whatever kind that guy is drinking."

"That's a new one." Tsubasa said as she moved to prepare Sakuya's order. "I thought you didn't like black coffee."

"I'll learn." Sakuya said darkly.

Nanami hesitated for a moment before abandoning her table and approaching Sakuya. "Futaki-san, is everything alright?" she asked gently.

"No." Sakuya said. "But I don't really think you could help me, Nagisa-san." He looked towards Tsubasa, who was just about finished preparing his coffee. "Aozora-san… you were the Blue Hurricane, right? Mom says you used to be a local legend, and I know some of the guys at school are still scared of you."

"Blue Hurricane?" Nanami echoed quizzically.

Tsubasa looked aside at that one. "Something I used to go by, once upon a time." There a hint of embarrassment in her voice. "And what of?" She served Sakuya his coffee. "There's nothing admirable about that stuff."

"Yes, there is!" Sakuya said. "As I am now, nobody will accept me as a man! I need to become stronger!" He sighed quietly. "Seems silly, going to a woman for this, but you're the strongest person I know! You had your reputation for a reason! I'm sure there's a lot I could learn from you!"

"There aren't any guys you could ask?" Tsubasa said.

"Not really." Sakuya replied. "The guys at Nagareboshi would laugh at me if they knew how much I cared. My dad would be all 'Oh, Sakuya, you don't have to change'. And it's not like I can hit up random guys for advice." As if to demonstrate, he turned to Hisao. "Excuse me, sir? How do I become a stronger man?"

Hisao, who had been busy pretending to be very interested in his coffee, not very interested in scoping out the Roaring Sparks of every patron that walked through the doors, and certainly not at all interested in how much Sakuya's Roaring Spark was shining at the moment, nearly spat out said coffee at the form of address Sakuya had used.

"Y-you don't have to 'sir' me." Hisao sounded a bit rattled. "Sheesh, I'm only twenty-one. And I'm not role model material. Not like Aozora-san."

" _Please_." Tsubasa deadpanned. "Seriously, Futaki-san, give it up. You're a fool if you think emulating the Blue Hurricane will make you a better man. She was a terrible excuse for a person. Nothing you or anyone else should be using as a role model."

"But…" Sakuya started. "Aozora-san, I promise I won't tell anyone! Please, take me on as your disciple! Teach me how to get respect from others! Teach me how to fight! If I don't become stronger, I'll never-"

Tsubasa turned away from Sakuya. "Sorry, but no." she said sharply. "Please drop it."

Before Sakuya could say anything more, another customer had come through the doors, providing Tsubasa with a convenient excuse to abandon him and busy herself with taking their orders.

"Futaki-san, if you want to talk-" Nanami started.

Sakuya, now visibly crestfallen, shook his head. "It's fine, Nagisa-san." he said quietly. "Please leave me alone."

Sakuya spent the rest of his visit to Shooting Star in miserable silence, oblivious to how guilty Tsubasa looked, even as she threw herself headlong into preparing coffee, and how intently Hisao was staring after him once he finally left.

* * *

Tsubasa had closed up Shooting Star earlier than usual that evening. She wanted to have the place cleaned up as soon as possible, since she and Megumi would be having dinner together, just as they did every year.

Tsubasa still looked pretty tense. Part of it likely had to do with her mother, but another part probably had to do with her exchange with Sakuya. Nanami had to admit, she was curious about that. But it wasn't her right to pry, she reminded herself as she polished a table, snatching glances at Tsubasa all the while.

The cafe owner noticed. "You're curious, aren't you? About the 'Blue Hurricane' business Futaki-san was pestering me over."

"I am." Nanami looked aside as she spoke. Kohaku and especially Sirius looked equally intrigued. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to!"

"Nah, it's fine." Tsubasa said. "Not like I can really hide it. I just don't talk about it too much." She gave the supplies behind the counter one last half-hearted polish before she set her rag aside, leaning forwards a bit on the counter as she spoke. "Long story short, I did some real shady stuff as a teenager. I'm not proud of it now, but back then, I was super into the attention I got from it. So into it that I kind of ended up making a name for myself."

"Hence the 'Blue Hurricane'?" Sirius asked.

Tsubasa nodded. "Yeah. I made that up for myself and spread it around. I was a two-bit, good for nothing punk, but at least I had a cool title!" She laughed dryly before heaving a quiet sigh. "The people of Seizato haven't forgotten the stuff I pulled. I earned that reputation of mine, I really did."

"I guess I can kind of see why Futaki-san would want you as a mentor." Kohaku said. "Your legendary fighting skills must have caught his eye. Enough that he'd completely look past your illicit activities."

"Gee, thanks, Kohaku." Tsubasa deadpanned. "Still, I screwed up big time with Futaki-san. I can't stand the thought of anyone admiring who I used to be. But at the same time, a confused kid like that…"

"It's only natural for children to want to prove themselves, true, true." Sirius said. "That's been my experience. And young men do tend to be…"

"Yeah, a lot of the guys I dated were big into the whole 'being seen as strong' song and dance." Tsubasa said. "One of the reason I prefer women, personally." Her face fell a bit. "But Futaki-san is a child. I should have chosen my words to him more carefully."

"It's alright, Tsubasa." Nanami said. "Futaki-san is a kind and understanding boy. I'm sure he'll be willing to listen to your apologies."

"I'd like to think that way." Tsubasa said as she resumed her cleaning. "It's easier than lying back and wallowing. I've had enough of that business."

The group spent the rest of the clean-up session in silence, working diligently until Shooting Star looked pristine. There was an unspoken agreement between the Illuster refugees to work as hard as they could, so Tsubasa could get to dinner on time. The task was done before too long, leaving everyone to stand back and admire their handiwork.

"Guess I'd better get going." Tsubasa pulled on her coat. "Are you sure you'll be alright? Your enemies do seem to know you live here, since…" She trailed off uncomfortably, but everyone knew full well what she meant.

"Right…" Nanami said morosely, before she tried to affect a more cheerful bearing. "But I am not particularly worried. We have powered up since then."

"And if Shooting Star is damaged, the powers of Pretty Cure will easily fix it." Sirius said cheerfully. "There's no need to worry about anything on that front, not at all!"

Tsubasa sighed. "That doesn't make me worry less. But I guess there's not much I can do about this. Although..." She smiled wistfully. "Getting to throw down with that Agate guy was pretty sweet. I wouldn't mind doing something like that again."

Nanami and Kohaku exchanged glances before shaking their heads and laughing quietly. It seemed that even if Tsubasa had reformed, she was most certainly not tamed.

Tsubasa checked the time on her phone. "I'd better head out. Meg'll work herself up into a frenzy if I take too long to show up. See you!" As she headed out the door, she paused. "And please… be careful, alright?"

"Don't worry, we will be!" Nanami called after her.

Even if she undersold it, Nanami mused as Tsubasa departed, the cafe owner really had done so much for her and the other Illuster refugees. She was a hero in her own right. The least Nanami and the others could do was give her less to worry about. Or at least try to.

* * *

If nothing else, Tsubasa mused as she and Megumi ate together at their mother's favorite restaurant - a modest little place, but it made the best fried chicken she had ever had - the air between her and her little sister had cleared a fair amount. The last few times they had eaten together after their mother's death, there had been a heavy barrier of awkwardness and unvoiced grudges hanging between them them. It was completely gone now.

Or maybe it was just _mostly_ gone, given the way Megumi was looking as Tsubasa as she recounted the events of earlier that day.

"And that's basically the gist of it." Tsubasa concluded between bites of fried chicken. "I'm beginning to understand why you're the one who went into teaching."

"You did handle that terribly." Megumi said between bites of her salad. "There were so many better ways for you to get your disapproval across."

"Yeah." Tsubasa sighed. "Once a dumb punk, always a dumb punk, huh?"

"Hardly." Megumi replied. "Any more than I'm still the 'spoiled little princess'. There was hardly any truth in that, you know."

"Says the woman who decided she had a right to spy on me."

"Says the woman who just took in a couple teenagers out of nowhere and expected me to not ask questions." Megumi said. "Then, I guess you had a good reason for hiding that from me. What I learned back there makes me nervous if I think about it too long."

"And I should have figured that you'd go digging into my business eventually." Tsubasa said. "I've never been able to keep anything from you."

Megumi ate in silence for somet time before she spoke again. "I was worried, you know. That's always been what it was. I wasn't out to make you feel inferior. I just wanted to keep you safe." She looked aside. "Even if my tactics have been a bit sketchy in the past."

"They sure have." Tsubasa pushed her fried chicken aside. She didn't have the stomach to finish it all. "But yeah, I figured as much. But you know how hard-headed I can be." She laughed softly. "Man, it's nice, speaking to you like this. I don't think we've been this relaxed around each other for years."

Megumi smiled warmly. "It _is_ nice." she said. "It'd be even nicer if Mom was here to see it. She was always worried about how poorly we got along."

"Yeah, I remember." Tsubasa said. She was silent for a few moments before adding "Do you think she'd be proud, knowing how I turned out?"

"I think so." Megumi said. "You really have matured into the kind of woman Mom would admire, Tsubasa… even if you still do have your rough edges."

"I mean, same to you, Meg." Tsubasa retorted. She sighed morosely. "I wish she was still here. She was always cheering for me, right until the end."

Megumi pushed her now-empty plate of salad aside. "We can't change the past. You have a lot of people who believe in you and trust you. That's what matters."

Tsubasa nodded solemenly before trying her best to switch gears. "Ah well… enough about that. How about that summer break, Meg?"

The Aozora sisters continued their discussion well into the evening, long after the wait staff had packed Tsubasa's untouched meal into a to-go box for her. The air between them cleared more as time went on, and that was almost enough to make Tsubasa stop worrying about her gaffe from earlier and the welfare of her charges. Almost.

* * *

Sakuya had barely been able to bring himself to touch his dinner that night. Thinking about his conversation with Tsubasa and the incident at Nagareboshi that had led to it made him feel ill, and his parents' constant questions about what was wrong just made him feel worse. He could have told them, sure, but all he'd get were the same lines they always trotted out, and "You don't have to change" or "I'm proud you're my son" wouldn't help like they usually did.

So, after fifteen-odd minutes of awkwardness, Sakuya had asked his mother to set some dinner aside for him to eat later and headed to his bedroom. He frowned sadly as he took in everything that laid about said bedroom - sewing projects lying everywhere, a bed decorated with a hand-knit blanket and shelves decorated with hand-knit stuffed animals, and a desk littered with fashion design sketches, many of them Mai Heart-related.

All of these were things that made him happy. None of these were things a man 'should' be into. If it really was like this, if he really did have to choose between basic respect or his own happiness…

Sakuya flopped backwards onto the bed and stared miserably at the ceiling as he felt his stomach continue to churn. He would have remained like that for a long time, had his phone not gone off, revealing that both Misaki and Taeko had posted in the group chat that the Hero Club had set up a fair while ago.

 _[Misaki] Sakkun, are you feeling alright?_

 _[Taeko] Sorry for earlier, Sakkun. I shouldn't have made you feel bad._

Sakuya smiled sadly as he saw the messages from his best friends. It was nice knowing these two were looking out for him, but it didn't exactly cancel out the shabby way he'd treated them earlier.

 _[Sakuya] You don't have to apologize. I was the one who was being a dick. Sorry._

 _[Misaki] Something seems up. Do you want to talk?_

Sakuya hesitated before he decided that yeah, Misaki and Taeko probably did deserve to know what was going on after the way he had been acting, rolled over onto his stomach and proceeded to type.

 _[Sakuya] Okay, so you guys remember Yuuta Oshiro?_

 _[Taeko] Yup! Did you finally confess?_

 _[Sakuya] Yeah._

 _[Misaki] I'm guessing it didn't go so well._

 _[Sakuya] Yeah, he got weird about it. Really weird._

 _[Misaki] Ew._

 _[Sakuya] He was all 'if you only like boys, why are you making this harder on yourself' and 'you're so feminine to begin with' and god, I feel sick typing this out._

Indeed, Sakuya mused, it was probably for the best that he had barely eaten. Dredging this up was making his stomach lurch.

 _[Taeko] Should I beat him up?_

 _[Sakuya] No! See, that's the problem! Men are supposed to be strong! I'm not! If I became stronger, I wouldn't have to hear that garbage!_

 _[Misaki] Girls are strong too! What about Pretty Cure? Or Tae-chan? Or like. Half the girls at Sorairo? It has nothing to do with gender!_

Sakuya shook his head. Misaki meant well, but this wasn't really something she could fully understand, nor did her comparision hold water.

 _[Sakuya] It's not the same. And he's not the first person to be weird about my interests. Starting tomorrow, I'll drop all that business and become a strong man. If Aozora-san won't help me, I'll find someone who will._

 _[Taeko] But you'll stop being Sakuya! You always said you liked sewing and fashion design and stuff! You don't have to give up a big part of yourself!_

 _[Misaki] Yeah! And we can't replace you with Yuu! It won't work! She said she was too busy helping Asahina-san! You're an important part of Mai Heart, Sakkun!_

Taeko was right about that, of course, Sakuya mused sadly. If he went off on this path, he would be giving up hobbies and interest that had become a part of him. And Misaki was right in that giving up his interests would effectively sabotage the Mai Heart project. But…

 _[Sakuya] Not everyone feels that way, Taeko. I guess I'll have to deal if I want others to respect me. Can we talk about something else?_

Neither Taeko nor Misaki responded for a few moments, making Sakuya worried that he had done something to upset them. But finally, Taeko replied with

 _[Taeko] Okay, let's talk about how my fave champion got nerfed. Because that's something that happened in the recent update? And Fujiko-chan is all 'well, Tae-chan, you have to adapt to the new meta' as if that nerf wasn't completely uncalled for and-_

Sakuya smiled wistfully as Taeko quickly steered the conversation to her favorite multiplayer online battle arena. He hardly knew what she was talking about half the time, but it was nice seeing his friends so passionate about what they loved. It quite nearly made him regret his plan to give all of this up.

* * *

The next morning was far easier for Tsubasa to face than it had been the first few times around. There was a time where she had woken up, moved to get out her phone and wish her mother a happy birthday, and broke down crying once she remembered that was no longer possible. She still felt rather sad and hollow when she woke up, but there was no more desire to cry. And that was good. She couldn't have her wards fretting about her too much.

Nanami was shopping with Amane and Tsukiko for the library committee's visit to the hospital, and Kohaku and Sirius were out looking for some more of those medallions Pretty Cure used to transform. Seizato had only half as many Cures protecting it as it should have, and according to Sirius, if they didn't change that in time, it probably wouldn't end well for anyone. That was a troubling statement, but there was little Tsubasa could do about it, past having faith in her charges.

With her wards accounted for, Megumi busy grading papers, and her father… yeah, she wasn't calling her father if you paid her, Tsubasa was left to her own devices. And she wasn't going to spend that locked up in Shooting Star feeling bad for herself, so she headed into town and did her best to enjoy herself to the fullest.

Tsubasa hit up her mother's favorite shops and bought a few new accessories and some new exercise equipment and apparel for herself, she visited her mother's favorite restaurant again and treated herself to round two of that fried chicken, and she enjoyed the latest in the comedy film series her mother had adored , since it had finally made its way to Seizato's local cinema – it was cheesy as hell, but she definitely saw why her mother had loved it so much.

And every step of the way, she was met by shopkeepers, staff, and people on the street who were genuinely happy to see her and did not look at her as if they were waiting for her to pull something awful. It was nice, seeing that, given who she used to be.

 _All I'm good at is hurting people._ she had told Ryo Aozora back in the day. _I can't be anything else. Nobody will let me be anything else._

But Ryo had never let Tsubasa forget she could be better. And she was so glad her mother had been so stubborn, Tsubasa mused, the wind gently ruffling her hair as she made her way down the streets of uptown Seizato. If she hadn't listened, if she hadn't given Ryo's advice a try… she really didn't want to think about how the Blue Hurricane would have ended up.

Tsubasa spent the next while venting some pent-up energy at the arcade. Once she finally emerged, she was greeted with the sight of a familiar face - Hisao Hoshikawa, who was lying draped half-on and half-off of a nearby bench in a position that had Tsubasa mentally cringing in pain. He almost looked as if he had been lulled to sleep by the warmth of the sunlight he was basking in, but no, his eyes were open half a crack, and he appeared to be watching the people passing by pretty keenly.

Tsubasa didn't really care about what Hisao was doing or why he was here to begin with. She did, however, care very much about what he could have been doing, given everything he had told her before. So, she approached Hisao, staring down at him quizzically.

"What are you up to, Hoshikawa-san?"

Hisao slowly looked up at Tsubasa with half-lidded eyes, which flew open once he registered who was talking to him. Obviously, the answer was 'scoping out Roaring Sparks and trying not to fall asleep, because this is a great patch of sun right here', but there was no way he was going to say that to a human, and no way in hell he was going to say that to an ally of Pretty Cure. And so, after a moment of quiet contemplation, he replied with

"Brumating?"

Tsubasa stared blankly at Hisao for a moment before she sighed in exasperation. "I... think it's still too warm for that. And you can't brumate your way to a paying job, can you? C'mon, Hoshikawa-san. You can do better than this."

"You're overestimating me." Hisao pulled himself into a sitting position, allowing Tsubasa to sit next to him. "So... how's your day off going?"

"Oh, it's been alright." Tsubasa said. "I think I've done most of what I wanted to do, so... mind taking a break from brumating and coming with me?"

Hisao gazed quizzically at Tsubasa. "Why?"

"Look," Tsubasa said "I don't like assuming things of strangers, but you've been having trouble motivating yourself on that job hunt, right?"

That was actually pretty astute of Tsubasa, Hisao mused. It was astute for all the wrong reasons, but still. If she became sharp enough to draw a line between him and Agate, then he and his sisters would really be screwed.

"I totally get it." continued Tsubasa, who had mistaken Hisao's stunned silence for agreement. "There's no point in this, I'll fail if I try, so I'm better off just lying down and quitting' is such an easy pit to fall into. I spent years wallowing in that pit. But it's no good if you just give up, you know?"

"I guess?" Hisao was both unsettled by how well Tsubasa was nailing the gist of his mental state and annoyed at how far off the mark she truly was in the end.

"Obviously, I can't make you do anything you don't want to." Tsubasa said. "If you want me to leave you alone, I'll go. But in my experience, it does help to have people around at times like this. So… what do you say to an alliance?"

The temptation to shoot down Tsubasa's suggestion was strong. There was no point in what she was suggesting... but then, it probably would be better to get on his feet and seek out Roaring Sparks instead of lying here. Maybe earning Tsubasa's trust would probably have some kind of strategic merit to it? And… there was some small part of Hisao that at least liked the notion of what Tsubasa was saying.

So after enough quiet contemplation and blank staring to make Tsubasa worriedly wave a hand in front of his face, Hisao stretched and yawned one last time before working to resteady himself on legs that had fallen asleep just a bit.

"Let's go. I've got nothing better to do either. And I'd rather be your ally than your enemy anyway."

"Damn right you would!" Tsubasa laughed cheerfully as the two set off together, oblivious to the nervous look on Hisao's face. "I wouldn't worry too hard about that, though. Unless you're going around hurting people, you have nothing to worry about."

Hisao tried his best to ignore how badly his stomach had dropped at that last bit. That probably hadn't been meant as a threat, but… he never was going to be able to completely lower his guard around this woman, was he?

* * *

Nanami was rather worried about Sakuya. When she, Amane, and Tsukiko had dropped by Aurora Sparkle to shop for clothes and accessories, Sakuya's mother had worriedly asked the three girls if they'd seen him. Apparently, he had stayed up exercising until he had worn himself out and had left the Futaki household without any more than a few words that morning.

"He said he was going to train to become a stronger man." Sakuya's mother had explained. "He said it's what he wanted, but it was clear he was forcing himself. And after last night, I'm really scared he's going to end up hurting himself. So please, if you see him…"

"Don't worry." Nanami had told her. "I'll try my best to help if we run into him. I wouldn't want anyone hurting themselves like that."

The only thing that kept Nanami from worrying more about Sakuya, who she and the others had still not been able to find, was Tsukiko, who she was even more worried about. The younger twin had been far quieter and much less expressive than usual. She had briefly come back to life when the group had stopped by a toy store, and Amane had helped her pick out a stuffed rabbit, but she had quickly fallen back into sullen silence once Amane offered to help her build a plushie collection.

At this point, Tsukiko was trailing behind Amane and Nanami as the group made their way through the shopping district, miserably clutching the stuffed rabbit she had bought to her chest and looking as if she were on the verge of tears. It was far too much for the other two girls to leave uncommented on any longer. Both stopped in their tracks and turned to face Tsukiko, concern written all over their faces.

"Tsukiko, what's wrong?" Nanami asked.

"If you need to go home, we won't hold it against you!" Amane said. "It's more important that you're feeling alright!"

Tsukiko looked from the girl whose life she had effectively ruined to the girl who had been her first victim, feeling her stomach twist horribly. She had no right to speak to either of them. And if they knew who she was, there was no way they would speak to her with such concern and gentleness. But…

…but if she didn't say something, this would eat her up inside. And if that did, she… she would be less useful to Sardonyx, and Yuu would hate her for it. That was it. That was all she needed to be focusing on.

"If you found out that something you had believed in for a long time was a lie… and people called you a liar for trying to tell the truth, what would you do?"

Amane blinked in surprise. "That's really heavy. Did something happen between you and Yuu?"

Tsukiko shook her head. "No, Yuu and I are fine." If you could call the growing tension between the two 'fine'. "My… the woman who looks after my siblings and me had a fight with each other. I was trying to tell her something I learned, and she called me a liar over it." Her gaze slowly traveled to the ground as she spoke. "I wasn't… I don't think I was lying, but… she built her life on those lies, and I…" Her voice caught, as her shoulders trembled and her eyes watered. "I just wanted…"

Before Tsukiko could finish her sentence, Nanami pulled her into a tight hug, a gesture that had the latter lost for words.

"I don't know what this is about." Nanami said gently. "And you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Tsukiko. But nobody deserves to have the people that look after them treat them like that. It wasn't your fault at all."

"I'm sorry…" Tsukiko whispered once she found her voice. "I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, Tsukiko." Nanami replied. "You have no need to feel guilty."

Tsukiko's heart froze at Nanami's words. Guilt? Was that what this uncomfortable, slightly ill feeling was? Was that what it had been back then, back at the zoo? And what she felt every time she saw Yuu progress forwards with her plan to ensnare Irene?

That guilt hadn't even been _there_ at first, but it had been growing bit by bit the longer she stayed on Earth. It would likely get that much worse, once she inevitably betrayed Nanami and the others for Sardonyx's sake, especially given what she knew now, or at least suspected. But…

 _"No matter where we go, no matter what we do, we are warriors of the Void Clan."_

That was right. That was all there was to it. Hisao and Yuu had the right idea. She was a warrior of the Void Clan. She couldn't be anything else. Ever. It was stupid to feel otherwise. But part of her still wanted to…

Tsukiko sobbed quietly onto the shoulder of the girl whose kindness she deserved least of all. She remained there for some time before she finally broke away from Nanami, still sniffling miserably as she wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her hoodie.

"Tsukiko… would you like to go home?" Amane asked. "I'm sorry to press the issue, but you look like you're feeling terrible right now."

Tsukiko gave one last miserable sniffle and nodded. "I… think it would be better if you didn't walk all the way with me. But you can at least see me off?"

As Amane and Tsukiko headed off, Nanami, who looked rather troubled by the younger twin's words, called after her.

"Hey, Tsukiko?"

Tsukiko paused in her tracks and looked over her shoulder. "Yes?"

"If you or your sister ever have any kind of problem, you're free to come to me with it." Nanami said. "I want us to be friends like that."

"Will do." Tsukiko tried not to betray how badly Nanami's words stung as she spoke.

* * *

By the end of it all, Hisao had acrrued a sizable number of job applications he was never going to fill out. He had also been introduced to what felt like every single manager of every single business in Seizato, all of whom Tsubasa seemed to be on good terms with. It hadn't been that bad, really, save for the fact that none of those people had Roaring Sparks had worth stealing, and the part where he had found himself having to pretend that Yuu's gaze wasn't boring into him like a laser while he was requesting a job application for Rainbow Connections. In fact, it might have been been a bit fun? But ultimately, it was a colossal waste of time. Just like everything else here on Earth.

"Sheesh, you sure are popular." Hisao said as he and Tsubasa emerged from what was – hopefully – the last stop in this extended farce. "Does everyone in this town know you?"

"Hey, lots of people like coffee." Tsubasa said. "It's nice, though, knowing I'm so well-liked by most of the people around here. Never thought it'd be anything like that growing up."

He needed to just cut and run already, Hisao mused as the two wandered uptown Seizato together. There was no point in staying and listening to whatever was going to come out of Tsubasa's mouth next. There was at least one person with a Roaring Spark worth stealing around here, and in the end, his mission was the only thing he should have bothered caring about. And yet…

"What do you mean by that?" he found himself asking.

"I did a lot of awful stuff when I was a kid." Tsubasa said. "I wasn't the most academically skilled person out there. Not a good look when you've got a smart father who wanted smart children. It was frustrating as hell, and I took that frustration out on other people. A lot."

 _Tsubasa tried to ignore how her mother had been staring at her ever since she had returned home from school. Her lip was split, her hair was a mess, one eye was slightly swollen, and her school uniform was ripped in a few places. It was a frightful sight for any parent, but although Ryo certainly looked a bit distressed, she seemed more sadly resigned to it than anything else._

 _"Tsubasa, why do you keep doing this?" Ryo demanded, even as Tsubasa sullenly stormed past her. "When is it going to end?"_

 _Tsubasa shrugged nonchalantly. "When people stop pissing me off." she retorted. "Stop badgering me about it. It's not gonna change."_

"Of course, when you get into beating people up as a hobby, you kind of scare a lot of people away." Tsubasa continued, something between nostalgia and seething contempt for her old self in her voice. "But you also attract a cult of personality around you! _And_ you get a reputation! I mean, sure, those other girls were awful hellcats, and a reputation based around solving everything with your fists is pretty worthless, but I was a pretty dumb kid. I reveled in that stuff. Gave myself an edgy title and everything."

Hisao looked equal parts awed and distressed. "Well, uh… that explains the terrifying aura you have, Aozora-san."

"Why thank you, Hoshikawa-san!" Tsubasa grinned cheerfully. "But yeah, I was big into that. Didn't matter that it made me the family embarrassment, or that my pals and I did got worse and worse over time. Who needed a future? I was gonna have fun and flame out gloriously!

"Or that's what I kept telling myself. After a while, I started to feel trapped. Alienating Mom and Meg stung like hell, and no matter where I went, no matter what I did, people just saw me as a destructive punk. They expected me to start trouble. 'Nobody will let me be better, so I might as well keep going'. That's what I kept telling myself. And the more I told myself that, the easier it was to dig myself further into that pit until it seemed impossible to get out."

 _Tsubasa had returned from her altercation with Megumi, after her sister had found the things she had been stealing, to a dark and silent house. For a moment, she thought she was in the clear, until the light had suddenly switched on, revealing a red-eyed and miserable-looking Ryo standing by the doorway._

 _"She told you, didn't she?" Tsubasa said coldly._

 _Ryo nodded. "She did." As Tsubasa attempted to take off, Ryo caught her by the shoulder. "You can't keep doing this." As Tsubasa opened her mouth, she added "I know, I say that too often, it's annoying. I know. I'm not doing it to be a nag, Tsubasa!"_

 _"Then why do you keep pestering me?"_

 _"Because I'm afraid for you!" Ryo said. "Because I don't want to end up losing you!" Her tone softened slightly. "And because I know you have it into yourself to be far better than this. But I can't force you to be better, Tsubasa. The first steps you take will have to be on your own."_

 _Tsubasa hesitated for a moment… before pulling away from her mother and storming off. "It won't happen." she said miserably. "Nobody else would let me change anyway."_

"Obviously, you changed your tune at some point." Hisao tried to swallow to burst of venomous jealousy that had flared up in his chest. "So… what gave?"

Tsubasa paused in her tracks, her eyes darkening a bit. "I got way in over my head one day. Once it became clear we were gonna get our asses kicked six ways to Sunday, the girls I thought were my allies threw me to the wolves. That's when I got it. We all talked like we were hot stuff, but in the end, we were all weak-hearted cowards.

"I was just gonna give up right there. Let those other girls beat the tar out of me. I didn't care anymore. And then..."

 _A car suddenly drove towards the scene of the fight at top speed, stopping right before it could hit the girls who had been beating up Tsubasa but coming close enough to make them scatter in panic. Even then, Tsubasa, now badly-beaten and bloodied, refused to move. What was the point? It was over for her now, wasn't it?_

 _The driver's seat door was flung open, and Ryo scrambled out. The sight of her mother brought Tsubasa no comfort. She simply turned away._

 _"What are you doing here? Just go. I'm not worth it."_

 _"Please get in the car, Tsubasa." Ryo's tone was horribly shaken, and even a casual observer could tell that she had spent the last while on the edge of hysterics, and yet she still managed to give off a commanding presence. "I can't leave you here like this."_

 _Had Tsubasa had the strength to get up, she would have fled immediately. But just trying to stand up was agony, and so she was left to glare balefully at her mother through swollen eyes._

 _"Why? So I can just let you down again? So I can pull something even worse?" Tsubasa looked aside, trying to look as steely as possible despite the tears prickling at the corner of her eyes. "Don't bother. You have Megumi, don't you? You don't need me."_

 _Ryo shook her head. "Do you really think a mother is going to choose between her children? Or just decide one's not worth saving?" She approached Tsubasa before extending her hand. "I know you can be better. And I know some part of you wants that as well. So please..."_

 _Tsubasa stared at her mother's extended hand for a long time. Finally, she accepted it with a badly trembling one of her own._

 _"Let's go, Mom."_

"Mom came back for me." Tsubasa's voice caught slightly. "Even if I thought I wasn't worth it, she came back for me. I get why she did it now, but at the time, it felt so strange."

Hisao frowned at this. His own irrational jealousy aside, it was clear that these memories were causing Tsubasa a fair amount of pain. Were Sardonyx here, she would point to this as a prime example of why human emotions were unneeded and had to be snuffed out. But at the same time, if Tsubasa had no use for these painful memories and negative emotions, she wouldn't bring them up to him, right? Were all humans like this?

"I shut down for a long time after that." Tsubasa said. "I kind of sleepwalked through life, if that made any sense?"

Hisao grimaced uncomfortably at that one. "Yeah, that makes plenty of sense, Aozora-san."

"My former gang members abandoned me. My dad and my sister still weren't close to me. And it seemed like everyone in town was waiting for me to screw up again. I didn't feel like I had anywhere to go. But Mom kept reminding me that she thought I could do better. And one day, I just told myself that. 'I want to be better'."

"And you just went out and did that?" Hisao asked.

"In… so many words." Tsubasa replied. "It took a long time to climb out of that pit. And there was no way in hell I could've done it alone. Mom was with me every step of the way."

 _"Do you seriously think that's going to help me?" Tsubasa sniffed contemptuously as Ryo guided her to Shooting Star's coffee machines. "Making coffee?"_

 _"I think you could be quite skilled at it, if you put your mind to it." Ryo replied, completely nonplussed by her older daughter's bitter attitude. "Tsubasa, do you know why I converted this place into a coffee shop?"_

 _"Because Dad couldn't interest people in the observatory alone?"_

 _Ryo smiled sadly at that one. "I suppose there is some truth to that. But ultimately, it's always been about helping others. It's such a small thing, but if the drinks I create can brighten someone's day, even a little bit, then my job was worth it." At Tsubasa's skeptical look, she added "I can't force you, but-"_

 _Tsubasa shook her head. "No, it's fine. I want to see how this works."_

"My mother was a lot of things." Tsubasa said. "She was the one who made Shooting Star what it was. She was the one who did most of the work raising Meg and me. But most of all, she was one of the people who never gave up on me. She thought I could be something better, and eventually, she had me believing that too."

"And that's why you run Shooting Star now?" Hisao asked.

"Well, yeah." Tsubasa replied. "Once I got into it, I realized how great it felt, being able to help others for a change. I can't really make their problems go away. But if I can help them even for a moment, it's worth it." She looked aside. "Of course, it took a while for everyone else to trust me, but most of them came around. And unless one of them tries anything in my presence, they'll never have a reason to look sideways at me. Strength used to protect others is different, after all."

Hisao was quiet for some time before he spoke again. "This doesn't explain why you'd go out of your way to help me. You barely know who I am." His eyes darkened slightly. "For all you know, I could be lying through about everything."

Tsubasa seemed completely nonplussed Hisao's words. "I'd like to think most of it was true. I'm not _that_ bad at reading people. And we're both twenty-somethings looking after a couple of teenagers, right? I couldn't be there for those two if I was still in that pit. So… maybe I'm just doing it for your little sisters' sake. Who knows?"

"That works for me." As if the twins weren't as doomed as Hisao was. "I'd like to think those two wanted me to do better as well."

"And sometimes, that's all you need." Tsubasa replied. "The first steps you take will have to be on your own. And even then, I still have days where I'm teetering at the edge of that pit. But having someone to believe in you really does help. There's no person alive who can truly live on their own."

"You've got a point." The words rang hollow in Hisao's mouth. "Guess I'll try seeing it that way."

"You don't have to get there all at once." Tsubasa offered Hisao a warm smile that just made him feel even more hollowed-out. "And I mean, it's easy for someone who's been recovering for a while to talk about how doable it is. But… I believe in you, Hoshikawa-san. And I'll keep cheering you on, if you want. It's what Mom did for me until the end."

The minute Tsubasa said that, her eyes widened slightly in alarm before she buried her face in her hands and let out a noise of exasperation.

"Right! Flowers for Mom! I almost forgot!" She bolted in the direction of the flower shop, only to pause in her tracks and look over her shoulder. "You're free to come with, if you want? No pressure, though."

Now, of course, was Hisao's next chance to cut and run. Hanging around Tsubasa likely meant playing with hot water in the long run anyway. He followed after her. He wasn't entirely sure why he was doing it, and he couldn't bring himself to find a justification for it. Not this time.

* * *

The search for the Soaring Medallion and the Lunar Medallion was not unlike trying to find a needle in an immense haystack. At least it was giving Kohaku and Sirius a nice workout. The librarian ran pretty quickly whenever they felt they'd caught the scent of one of the Medallions' energy signatures, forcing Kohaku to run just as hard to keep up with them.

At some point, Sirius had been almost certain the shiny object a crow was trying to carry off was one of the Medallions. The two had chased the bird halfway into the park, attracting many stares in the process, until the crow, apparently tired of this charade, dropped what turned out to be a yen coin and flew off.

"Well, I feel ridiculous." Kohaku said as she rested underneath one of the trees in the park. She looked over at Sirius, who was lying near her, their tongue lolling out of their mouth as they panted heavily. "Are you sure we'll be able to find the Medallions like this?"

"My nose clearly, clearly isn't working that well." Sirius said. "Perhaps if someone qualified was about, the Medallions would be drawn to their Roaring Spark, but I don't want to just wait and hope." They yawned a bit. "Thanks for helping me, Kohaku, even if it was a wild goose chase in the end. I get a bit nervous running around on my own, what with the Orgel and all."

"Right… those three can't touch it, but we know Celes can." Kohaku grimaced uncomfortably as the younger princess' name left her mouth.

"And I'd rather not come into conflict with Lady Celes if I can help it, you know, you know?" Sirius said quietly. "But there's not much I can do against any of -"

Before Sirius could finish that sentence, Sakuya ran past them… or he at least tried to. He doubled over several paces in, felled by a terrible running cramp.

Kohaku wasted no time in scrambling to her feet and rushing to Sakuya's side, Sirius following closely at her heels. "Futaki-san! Are you alright?"

For a moment, Sakuya seemed ready to lie, but then he seemingly concluded it wasn't worth it and shook his head. Kohaku promptly led Sakuya over to one of the fountains and allowed him to get some water before leading him to one of the park's more shaded areas.

"It's no good if you hurt yourself." she said. "Getting stronger shouldn't mean pushing your body until it breaks."

"I guess I overdid it." Sakuya replied. "Between the weights and the jogging..." He winced painfully. "Since Aozora-san wouldn't help me, I thought I'd figure it out on my own. You saw how that turned out." He looked more than a little miserable saying that. "Some man I am. At this rate, I'll never have anyone's respect."

"Why do you think you have to force yourself to be respected as a man?" Kohaku asked. "You don't look very happy with this."

Sakuya was quiet at first. He seemed more interested in petting Sirius than responding to Kohaku. But finally, he spoke. "Shishioh-san… do you like being a girl?"

"Sure?" Kohaku said. "It's not something I think about much. Where I'm from, nobody sneezes at women who dress or act like me, so I've never felt constrained by..." She paused, the gears in her mind clearly turning. "I would be pretty unhappy if people insisted if I was a boy, if that's what you mean."

"It must be nice overseas." Sakuya said wistfully as he scratched Sirius' ears. "I like being a guy too. And I know I'm a guy. But not everyone sees me as one. Lately, I've been worried I've been making it worse. I don't like exerting myself much, and I prefer to sew doll clothes for dolls or design outfits. Am I not trying hard enough?"

Kohaku shook her head. "That's basic respect, Futaki-san. It shouldn't be something anyone has to fight for. If people don't give you that respect, it's their fault, not yours."

"I guess." Sakuya said quietly. "Part of me wants to agree with you, but part of me... part of me feels like if I just tried harder, if I was just stronger..."

Kohaku just smiled. "You're already strong, Futaki-san."

Sakuya stared at Kohaku in confusion. "How so?"

"I don't think strength is about how athletic you are, or how great you are in a fight." Kohaku said. "Nanami has been through so much, and she's still not afraid to face down things much larger than herself. I have never once thought of her as weak just because I'm physically stronger than she is."

"Right, but-"

"Nanami is strong in her way, and you're strong in yours, Futaki-san. You devote yourself to hobbies that take a lot of finesse and expertise. You're loyal to your friends. And Saegusa-san is always talking about how great you are at keeping her and Ichizaki-san from doing anything foolish. How are those not strengths?"

"Is that why Aozora-san called me a fool for looking up to her?" Sakuya asked.

"That was probably part of it." Kohaku said. "The strength you thought 'the Blue Hurricane' had... wasn't. Hurting others to feel superior is just another form of weakness. It's a side of her she's ashamed of - that's why she responded so poorly." She sighed heavily. "She could've phrased it better. I like Tsubasa, but tact isn't one of her strong suits."

"Yeah, I've noticed." Sakuya deadpanned. "Should I give up, then?"

"I don't think I can answer that one, Futaki-san." Kohaku said. "I don't have much more advice to give. Especially when it comes to situations like yours. I think that's the other reason Tsubasa said she couldn't help you. She's not qualified to speak about that, and neither am I."

Sakuya nodded before attempting to get up… only to wince as another cramp shot through his side. Kohaku sprang to her feet and firmly shook her head before silently guiding Sakuya through a few cool-down stretches.

"Oh wow, that feels a lot better." Sakuya said, once he had finished stretching. "Thanks, Shishioh-san."

"Any time." Kohaku said. "So… what are you going to do now?"

Sakuya frowned. "I really don't know. I'd feel bad quitting now, but…" He shook his head sadly. "I feel like I'm back to square one. Maybe I should jog some more until it comes to me."

"Please walk for a little bit." Kohaku said. "It'd be bad to start pushing yourself right after you recovered."

Sakuya flashed Kohaku a quick 'ok' gesture and he took off jogging… before catching himself and instead slowing down to a brisk powerwalk, leaving Kohaku and Sirius to stare after him.

"We might need to keep an eye on him, yes, yes." Sirius said quietly. "Considering the Void Clan's _modus operandi_..."

"Yeah…" Kohaku said as she pulled out her phone and began texting Nanami.

The two took off themselves, trying not to be too obvious about the fact that they were trying to keep an eye on Sakuya. Maybe they would find one of the Medallions along the way. It was a long shot, and Kohaku was not at all optimistic, but it paid to be hopeful even in the face of overwhelming odds, right? That was yet another thing she admired Nanami for.

* * *

Hisao had been expecting a house or maybe a small apartment when Tsubasa had mentioned delivering flowers to her mother. What he had not expected was a cemetery. And yet, here he was, following Tsubasa in stunned silence as she wove through several tightly-packed rows of tombstones until she arrived at the one that read 'Ryo Aozora'. He watched in something between curiosity and confusion as she deposited the red carnations she had purchased before Ryo's tombstone before mouthing an unspoken prayer.

"Mom passed a couple years ago." Tsubasa said quietly. "There was nothing anyone could do." Her eyes were beginning to water. She wiped them with her jacket sleeve as she stepped back from Ryo's grave. "It still feels strange, not having her around anymore."

Hisao stared at Tsubasa lost for what to say for a moment, before he managed a puzzled "So… why are you doing this? Seems like it's causing you a lot of pain."

"It hurts thinking about Mom, let alone visiting her." Tsubasa said solemnly. "But if I don't, then I might forget her. And that's when a person truly dies." She smiled tearfully. "Besides, all the unpleasant emotions her death brings up are a part of me too. They're proof I'm alive."

Hisao shrugged. "I guess so." Not that his own thoughts on the subject mattered. "Man, I wish I had your idealism, Aozora-san."

Tsubasa shook her head. "Me, an idealist? Hardly. This world is a cruel place, and no matter what you do, you'll be gone in the end. But there's good here too. Most people mean well, and even if you can't help everyone, you can at least make a difference to a few people. That's how Mom lived. And that's how I want to live too."

"Well, you do a pretty good job of that." Hisao said, even as he inwardly reeled at everything Tsubasa had just dumped on him. Humans could be so strange.

"Well, yeah." Tsubasa cast one last glance at Ryo's grave before she walked off, leaving Hisao to trail after her through the cemetery. "I wouldn't be here today if Mom didn't help me understand that." She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face as she and Hisao arrived at the cemetery entrance. "I wish more people felt the same way. We're all struggling together, you know? Better to work to make the world a little better to throw more ugliness onto the pile. Or try not to feel at all."

A chill wind blew as Hisao stared at Tsubasa. Part of him wanted to yell at her for speaking of redemption he had no hope of achieving. And another part...

…was genuinely leery of Tsubasa, because some of what had come out of her mouth there was a bit too prescient. Intellectually, he knew she couldn't have known he was Agate, because then she likely wouldn't have let him get this close to her at all. Unless that was the plan, to lower his guard and then…

"Do I have something on my face?" Tsubasa asked, having noticed how intently Hisao was staring at her. "Or have you fallen for me?" she added wryly.

"Well, I fell for your coffee a long time ago. That counts, right?" Hisao replied absent-mindedly, even as he kept a wary eye on Tsubasa. Those were not _obviously_ the actions of someone trying to lull him into a false sense of security, but…

And before either of them could say anything more, Sakuya jogged past the two. The boy's Roaring Spark was shining brilliantly, and Hisao found his eyes following it. That was it. That was the only thing he could do in the end. There would be no climbing out of that pit, not like Tsubasa had. Not him.

"Guess I'd better head off. Those applications aren't gonna write themselves." Hisao walked off a few paces – in the same direction Sakuya had traveled – before he offered Tsubasa a wave and a broad smile, exposing his prominent canine teeth. "See ya, Aozora-san! Nice hanging out with you!"

"You too, Hoshikawa-san!" Tsubasa called, offering Hisao a wave and a smile of her own. "Take care, alright?"

Her gaze followed Hisao intently until he had finally vanished from view.

* * *

Sakuya wanted to say that his conversation with Kohaku had helped him get over his internal struggle, but in truth, it had only sort of helped. He still felt horribly lost. Jogging the confusion away, once his side had stopped aching horribly, still seemed like as good of a plan as any, so he did just that. If nothing else, exercising like this really did feel really nice. It made him wonder why he'd never tried his hand at it before. At least there was one upside to this whole mess.

There was a man standing in the middle of the tree-lined path Sakuya was jogging down, forcing him to come to a stop, lest he crash into him. A very strangely-dressed man, with strange, empty-looking eyes, and snakes gathering near him, as if he exuded some kind of magnetic pull towards them. A man who could only have triggered Sakuya's flight or fight instinct harder had he been wearing a sign reading 'I am an agent of the villains' around his neck.

"You're-!" Sakuya started.

"Yeah, this guy is." Agate looked horribly bored with this routine already. "Agate, servant of Lady Sardonyx, etcetera. Now-"

"Don't you dare!"

Before Agate could do anything, there was a blur of blue and black, and then Tsubasa touched down in front of Sakuya, a triumphant grin on her face.

"Aozora-san?" said Sakuya, who was too stunned to make himself move.

Agate looked pretty freaked-out himself. "Oh god…" he muttered, already feeling his hackles raise at the sight of Tsubasa. "It's you again."

"Yup!" Tsubasa said cheerfully. "Miss me, Agate?" Even as she continued to stare Agate down, she added "Futaki-san… I'm sorry about before. My choice of words was uncalled for." She undid her wavy brown hair from its usual ponytail in one fluid motion, leaving it to blow free in the wind. "Becoming physically stronger, wanting to improve yourself as a fighter… there's nothing wrong with such things. But that strength is worthless if you don't use it to protect others!"

Agate sneered in disgust as he tried to summon his circle of runes, only for Tsubasa to lunge forwards and throw a right hook. He managed to dodge it, if very narrowly.

"Why are you bothering?" Agate asked Tsubasa as she sent a hail of strong and swift blows she sent his way, forcing him to parry each blow and gradually driving him backwards. "You failed last time, you'll fail now. How many times do I have to teach you that lesson?"

"That's my line." Tsubasa said. There was fire in her eyes, and for a normal human woman, she was displaying strength, agility, and fighting skills that made Agate quietly thankful she wasn't a Cure. As the two broke away, she grinned cockily. "Do you really think you can pull this off? Just go after the former Blue Hurricane and win? _Please_."

Agate sighed heavily. "Alright, that's enough." He summoned his whip in a flash of drak orange light. "This guy's got better things to do."

Agate lashed his whip towards the ground near Tsubasa, clearly aiming to unseat her using the shockwave he'd created. The second he did so, she launched herself forwards and nailed him in the ribs with a springing roundhouse kick, leaving him doubled over in pain.

"Futaki-san, please run!" Tsubasa cried, using Agate's momentarily stunned state to turn to Sakuya, who was still struggling to make himself leave. "I'll be fine!"

"Oh no, you don't!" hissed Agate, who used Tsubasa's momentary distraction to snap his fingers, summoning a circle of dark orange runes to hold him in place.

Tsubasa immediately moved to intercept Agate. He caught her fist in his own, using her surprise to jab her sharply in the gut before shoving her away from him, leaving her to hit the ground heavily a few yards away. He was still holding back, but she clearly required more effort to deal with than the average human.

"I don't understand you." Agate said as he stared Tsubasa down. "A normal human like you has no hope of winning against me. So why?"

"Because I want to do everything I can to help, no matter how bad the odds are." Tsubasa said through gritted teeth as she struggled to regain her bearings. "I'm not going to give up, just because you have!"

Agate's form tensed up, a fire burning in his empty bronze eyes. "It's not that simple!" he snapped, before rounding on Sakuya, who was paralyzed with fear. "This is all we can be." He refused to take his gaze off Tsubasa even as he extended a hand towards Sakuya, who cried out in pain as his Roaring Spark began to be torn out of his chest. "We have no choice! Roaring Spark! Come… forth!"

As Sakuya was surrounded by a cocoon of dark violet energy, there was a sudden thunder of footsteps, coupled with the sound of paws hitting the ground, quickly joined by the sound of footsteps arriving from the opposite direction. And then Kohaku and Sirius arriving at the scene from one side, followed by Nanami arriving from the other.

"Pretty Cure?" Agate said incredulously. He looked over at Tsubasa. "What, did you tip them off, or…?"

Nanami shook her head. "Kohaku had a feeling you'd target Futaki-san like this, Agate." she said. "And I'm always willing to trust my partner's judgment."

Kohaku flushed slightly before turning her attentions to Tsubasa. "Please hurry up and run, Tsubasa!" she said. "We'll take it from here!"

Tsubasa flashed the pair an 'ok' sign before she dragged herself painfully towards safety, but not before adding one last parting comment - "Go for the ribs! I got him pretty good there!"

Moments after Tsubasa fled and Sirius removed themselves to relative safety, the cocoon of dark violet energy dissipated to reveal a towering, muscular-looking figure, which appeared to be comprised mainly of expertly-knit blue and black yarn. It was staring down the pair with empty gold eyes, and the orange gem on its chest was just barely visible. The vast majority of it was obscured by yarn.

Pretty Cure's eyes shined as they readied their Roaring Compacts.

"That looks like a tough opponent. But we'll still save Futaki-san." Nanami said. "Let's go, Kohaku!"

Kohaku grinned. "Okay, Nanami!"

"Medal, set! Pretty Cure, Roaring Rebirth!"

"Guardian of the ocean that blooms with life! Blossom Knight, Cure Delphinus!"

"Guardian of the wind that sweeps through the plains! Tempest Knight, Cure Leo!"

"The two of us are Pretty Cure!" Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo chorused.

"Those who cruelly meddle with the hearts of others-" Cure Leo said, pointing a finger at Agate.

"We'll put a stop to your actions at once!" Cure Delphinus said, following suit.

Agate sighed heavily at the display, pressing one hand to his temple. "Right, right. Get them, Utsuroid!"

The Utsuroid charged towards Pretty Cure at full tilt, swinging its massive fists wildly. Delphinus and Leo were ready to intercept its assault – as it prepared to flatten both Cures with its fists, they sprang forwards, each Cure catching one massive fist in their hands. The pair glowed brightly with pink and orange light as they concentrated their strength before they shoved forwards, leaving the Utsuroid reeling backwards.

"What am I supposed to do?" it said as it sent wildly-aimed blows at Delphinus, who blasted several quick volleys of water at it, and Leo, who pummeled it with a volley of electricity-charged punches. Neither of the Cures' attacks seemed to affect it much."I want to be a strong man! But what does it mean to be strong? I don't understand anymore!"

"It's tough!" Leo hissed as the Utsuroid effortlessly shrugged off her blows. Before she could land another attack, it grabbed her and threw her away from it. She managed to recover, touching down unsteadily in a shower of orange sparkles. "And its gem... if we could just get rid of that yarn..."

Pretty Cure regrouped, nodded at one another, and tried to aim a combined energy-charged leaping punch at the yarn covering the Utsuroid's gem, only for it to easily smack the duo out of the air before their attacks could connect.

"What are you even trying to do?" Agate asked. "Sheesh, this guy thought you were better than this."

As the Cures tried to regain their bearings, a portion of yarn on one of the Utsuroid's arms began to unravel, forming into a missile-shaped projectile. Several more areas on its body immediately followed suit. As it fired the salvo of missiles at the Cures, the duo summoned their Melody Arms in a flash of light.

"What does it mean to be strong? What does it mean to be a man? Someone, please tell me!" it cried in anguish.

Delphinus transformed the Blossom Flute into its scepter mode, blasting the projectiles with blasts of water before they could touch her. As she did, she stared at Sakuya's Utsuroid, her vivid pink eyes shining with inspiration.

"Putting passion into everything you love like this… that's strength, Futaki-san!" she said. "Please, keep using more of this passion! I want to see what else you can do! For your sake… please, don't give up!"

Leo followed Delphinus' lead, transforming the Tempest Guitar into an ornate-looking sword with a diamond-shaped orange crystal at the hilt.

"That's right!" she said as she swung the sword towards the projectiles that Delphinus could not intercept, easily slicing them to ribbons. "This commitment to your work… that's a kind of strength as well! I know you can create some great things!"

The Utsuroid took the bait. Multiple patches of the yarn on its form began to shift and warp, creating a veritable army of creations – several smaller copies of itself, ribbons of carefully crocheted-looking yarn, a small army of yarn birds, a yarn dolphin, and a yarn lion, among other things. The more creations it produced, the more the yarn on its body was eaten away, leaving its muscular golden form mostly exposed, along with the gem on its chest.

Pretty Cure glanced at one another before Leo went dashing forwards, leaving Delphinus to face down the yarn army on her own.

"Damn it!" Agate hissed.

Agate dashed towards Delphinus, biting back the pain from the injury Tsubasa had inflicted. As he drew close to the pink Cure, he lashed his whip towards her. Delphinus, who was readying her Blossom Flute, was too startled to reacte to Agate's sudden interference. Leo, who was attempting to break through the Utsuroid's attempt at parrying her blows was too far from her partner to protect her.

And then a sudden blur of white and silver barreled into Agate. A massive paw connected sharply with his injured ribs, sending another bolt of pain through his body as he hit the ground hard.

"I'm not letting you touch Lady Delphinus, sorry, sorry." Sirius, now in their massive dog form, stared down Agate, who was too stunned and in a bit too much pain to move right now, with ice blue eyes, their tone far too cheery and nonchalant for someone who had just attacked their princess' would be assailant. "It's the least I can do for her, you now?"

"Siri… thank you!" as Delphinus spoke, the yarn army drew just close enough to be right where she wanted them. Now was her cue to begin playing the Blossom Flute, leaving Agate, who was still struggling to get out from under Sirius' grip, wincing in pain. "Pretty Cure! Blossom Elegy!"

Delphinus pointed the Blossom Flute at the yarn army the Utsuroid had created, leaving each and every one of its creations to be destroyed by the resulting heart-shaped water globules in a burst of rainbow-colored light.

The sight of its creations' destruction rattled the Utsuroid enough to make it falter visibly. Leo took advantage and broke through its guard, driving it backwards with several electricity-charged punches and kicks before finishing off with a leaping slash from the Tempest Saber, sending an immense crack through the gem on its chest. As she touched down on the ground, she transformed the Tempest Saber back into the Tempest Guitar, her vivid orange eyes shining with resolve as she played a few chords.

"Pretty Cure! Tempest Rock!" Leo cried, as she pointed the Tempest Guitar as the Utsuroid, leading multiple orange lightning bolts to strike it from all sides, causing its gem to shatter completely in the resulting heart-shaped, rainbow-colored blast.

"So warm..." the Utsuroid said as it gave off multicolored energy, which flowed towards Delphinus and Leo's Roaring Compacts, before its form resolved into that of an unconscious Sakuya, whose now-pristine Roaring Spark sunk back into his chest as he was deposited back onto the ground.

Delphinus and Leo, who wasted no time in hurrying to Sakuya's side and making sure he was alright, spent a moment catching their breath before they looked at one another, both equal parts winded and relieved.

"We really do harmonize wonderfully, Leo!" Delphinus said. "I'm so lucky to have you as my partner!"

Leo turned bright red and looked away sharply. "S-same, Delphinus."

Sirius gave up on pinning Agate down and reverted to their humanoid form. They shot him a look of concern as he shakily hauled himself to his feet.

"Should I heal you? I can't do much, and I'm not sure what effect it would have on… on someone of your… nature, but-"

"Don't bother." Agate said. "We were made to heal quickly. I'll be okay." He grimaced painfully as he looked over at Pretty Cure, both of whom were watching him for any false moves. "This guy's not a guy who's got any fight left in him! Don't worry about it!"

Delphinus shook her head. "Please, there's no need to-"

"I'm not your concern, princess." Agate said. "I don't know why you'd worry about any of us to begin with. We helped ruin your life, didn't we?"

"I can acknowledge that and still worry!" Delphinus said. "If we take the time to understand each other-"

Leo laid a gentle hand on Delphinus' shoulder. "Don't bother with him." she said firmly. "None of them are worth it. Not after what they did."

"Miss Knight's got the right idea." Agate seemed unperturbed by the glare from Leo that earned him. As the circle of dark orange runes formed at his feet, he added "That woman is a friend of yours, right? Tell her to stop trying to fight me. She's wasting her time, and I…" He gritted his teeth at another flare of pain from his injured ribs. "I'm not sure how much more of this I can take."

And then Agate was gone in a flash of dark orange light and a burst of kicked-up soil, leaving the Cures to hurry to Sakuya's side as they reverted to their civilian forms and Sirius to hurry off and find Tsubasa.

* * *

The Hero Club had convened at one of Shooting Star's outside tables the next day. Nanami and Kohaku were seated at a nearby table enjoying some frozen lattes, as Sirius laid curled up at Nanami's feet. Misaki and Taeko were looking on in awe as Sakuya proudly showed off the new T-shirt he had received – one that sported the logo of one of the local gyms in Seizato.

"What do you think?" he asked. "They gave it to me right after I signed up! Pretty cool, huh?"

"It sure is!" Misaki chirped. "But Sakkun, I thought you said you weren't going to worry about being strong anymore?"

"Well, there are lots of ways to be strong." Sakuya said. "Shishioh-san and Aozora-san taught me that. And I do want to take pride in the things I love, regardless of what other people think. But… I think I like exercising. And it'd be nice to have strength to protect others like Pretty Cure does."

"Oh, that's right, you _would_ kind of remember Pretty Cure!" Taeko was trying not to stare too hard at Nanami and Kohaku as she spoke. "Did they use their bikes, or…?"

"Not this again…" Kohaku sighed. She glanced towards Sakuya, who looked every bit as exasperated with this line of inquiry as she was. "Seriously though, Futaki-san, I'm happy for you. I'm sure the people working there can provide better guidance than I could."

"Hey, you still helped, Shishioh-san! " Sakuya replied. "And speaking of help, Aozora-san helped me find a support group for trans youth. I think she was right - it would help to have people like me to talk to."

"I'm really glad, Sakkun!" Misaki said. It seemed like everyone present shared her assessment. "So…" she added as she adjusted her glasses. "I take it you're staying with the Mai Heart Project, then?"

"Of course." Sakuya smiled wryly. "You two would be up a creek without me."

"You're dang right!" Taeko nodded firmly. "We're totally hopeless by ourselves! Sakkun knows what's up!"

Just then, Tsubasa exited Shooting Star, carrying a tray with three frozen mochas, one of which had a large dollop of whipped cream on top of it. She approached the Hero Club's table, handing the two drinks without whipped cream to the girls and the one with it to Sakuya.

"And there we go!" she said. "Let me know if you need anything else!"

"Oh, Tsubasa." Nanami said. "Are you holding up alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Tsubasa replied. "I've had a lot worse than the bruises and scrapes I got back there." She glanced over at the Hero Club's table. Its three members were eagerly engaged in discussion, and she doubted they were paying her much mind. "I don't regret fighting to protect Futaki-san. And I'll gladly do that kind of thing again if I have to. But on the whole, I'm glad this fighting business isn't my life anymore."

"Working hard to serve everyone here, doing whatever you can to support us… those are also types of strength, right?" Nanami said. "You're a strong woman even now."

" _Obviously_." Tsubasa flipped her hair for emphasis. "I've increased tenfold in power since those days! Blue Hurricane who?" She laughed mock-arrogantly before glancing towards Shooting Star. "Well, I'd better get back to work. Coffee's not gonna make itself." As she headed off, she could be heard muttering "Wonder how Hoshikawa-san's holding up…"

"Tsbuasa is strange… and a bit scary sometimes." Kohaku said as she stared after her. "But I'm glad we were able to meet her."

"As am I." Nanami said. "We're lucky to have such a reliable ally."

* * *

Sardonyx was standing on one of the castle balconies that night. The flames in her vermillion eyes burned much more dimly than they ever had before, her expression was quietly miserable, and her posture was hunched and broken-looking, making her seem less like the tall and intimidating woman she was and more like a distressed young girl. She continued to stare fixedly at the frozen moon and starless sky above her even as Agate's footsteps echoed clearly behind her.

Well, Sardonyx didn't notice Agate, but her shadow seemed to follow him as he stepped into the room. Was it just his imagination, or…?

Both Sardonyx and Agate remained quiet for some time, before she finally seemed to register his presence.

"Selenite is turning against me." She sounded terribly hollowed out. "I might have made her loyalties weaker, at that."

"She's not gonna leave." Agate said. "She's confused, that's all. Just give her time. She'll realize there's no point in fighting this sooner or later."

"Of course." Sardonyx smiled brokenly. "In the end, none of you can leave, even if you wanted to." Her smile faded. "But if Selenite tried… I'd have to…" She winced, clearly entertaining whatever awful possibility she'd have to act on in that event. She was quiet for some time before adding "Agate, if you could leave me, would you?"

Agate frowned. Intellectually, he knew the 'correct' answer here was 'I would never dream of such a thing!'. But he didn't feel it. There was no in hoping for what Tsubasa had achieved. Maybe she had found redemption, but it was an impossibility for him. Hope was not something that someone like him had any business having.

But in a universe where things were different? A universe where he could try to be better without fear of consequences? _Well_ …

And so, Agate replied with the best answer he had. "I don't know."

Sardonyx turned away from Agate. "Maybe it's better that you can't leave then." she said sullenly. "All of you will have to remain until the end. Or…"

"Don't worry about it, Lady Sardonyx." Agate took his place by his boss, trying to hide how unsettled he was by her thinly-veiled threat. "It'll never come to that."

"I hope so." Sardonyx said as she looked upon the frozen landscape that this kingdom, whatever its name had been once, now was. "I really do hope so."


	12. Episode Twelve

**Episode Twelve** : Wake Up, Nanami! The Kingdom of Illusion!

* * *

Summer was dawning in Seizato. The smell of the ocean air had grown a bit more pronounced as the temperatures began to climb. Ice cream stands grew more prolific on the streets as the people of Seizato traded in their long sleeves and jackets for short sleeves and lighter affair. Sorairo was no exception on that front, with the sea of navy sailor-collared blazers quickly giving way to a sea of short-sleeved white sailor blouses with navy-striped collars.

The onset of summer was a time of great excitement for many people, Tsukiko had surmised as she and her sister listened in on the discussions going on around them. People were eagerly making plans for summer break, excitedly sharing their summer vacation destinations, complaining about having to bother with summer homework…

…it was all pointless, of course. Just like everything else in this world was. Yuu made certain to remind Tsukiko of that, once she caught her twin looking a bit too wistful at her classmates' talk of vacation plans. If it could not advance Sardonyx's mission, it was pointless. 'Fun' had nothing to do with why they existed.

It was becoming harder and harder for Tsukiko to believe any of that, especially knowing what she knew now, both about the Void Clan's mission and her own feelings. Not that it mattered. Like it or not, she had a role to play and a job to do.

As Tsukiko rode the train to downtown Seizato along with the rest of the library committee, she stared morosely into space and clutched her plush rabbit to her chest. The younger twin was trying to look perfectly blank-faced and failing miserably at it. Really, she just looked sick to her stomach.

"Tsukiko, are you feeling alright?"

Tsukiko looked over at Nanami and felt her stomach lurch even harder. Part of her wanted to tell Nanami to leave her alone and never bother with her again, but the other part of her knew that would be the very opposite of useful. Especially now. She needed Nanami's trust. Even if she did not deserve it.

"I'm fine." Tsukiko said quietly. "Just a little stage fright. That's all."

"Oh, I totally get that!" Amane chirped from her spot near Tsukiko. The class representative was carrying the glittering princess outfit she had assembled the other day in a shopping bag. "But seriously, there's no need to worry so much! The kids are just happy to have people reading to them. And the staff are just happy to have someone reading to the kids. Nobody will judge your performance or anything, Tsukiko."

"Amane is correct." said Nanami as she offered Tsukiko a reassuring smile that made her feel even worse. "Better to focus on the help you'll provide others than on how they might judge you. And I know you'll do wonderfully anyway, Tsukiko. Both of us will."

Tsukiko forced a smile she did not feel. "I'll do my best, Nagisa-san."

 _Just a little more_ , Tsukiko thought as she stared down at the plush rabbit in her arms. The plush rabbit seemed to stare right back up at her with empty glass eyes that seemed to have a spark of life in them, if only for a brief moment. _Just a little more, and this will be over_. And it didn't matter how she felt about that. It should never have mattered.

* * *

The hospital was not quite as depressing of a place as Tsukiko had initially surmised. True, there was a certain tension lingering in the air as the library committee stepped into the main lobby of the hospital and Amane worked to get everyone checked in. But at the same time, there was something oddly inspiring about the way everyone who worked in the hospital was carrying themselves. For people who worked in what a house of the sick, there was a certain hopefulness about them that she had not expected.

"Everyone here seems very driven." Tsukiko remarked as a nurse passed her by, wheeling a patient to their destination.

"I think they'd have to be." Amane said, once she returned from helping get the library committee checked in. "After all, they're in charge of keeping Seizato as healthy and happy as possible, no matter how challenging the odds. If they didn't have passion for their jobs, a lot of people here would be in trouble."

"Passion for their jobs and hope for the future." Nanami added. "If a healer does not believe that the patient will get better, no matter the odds, then it will be more difficult for them to perform their duty. That's what I was always taught, anyway."

"That sounds right." Amane said. "One of the pediatricians who works here – Rallis-san? – told me something like that once, when we were both at Shooting Star. And, and he pointed out that we're also doing something important to help the patients."

"Giving them hope?" asked Tsukiko, who was trying to ignore how loudly her heart was pounding in her chest.

"Yup!" Amane chirped, bobbing her head up and down in agreement. "It's important for patients to have hope for the future too – otherwise, it's more difficult for them to get better too." She grinned proudly as she looked at the rest of the library committee. "Even if this seems like a small thing, we're actually performing an important duty! So, let's go, everyone! We have hearts to heal!"

The library committee was escorted to a colorfully-decorated waiting room, which was decked out with plenty of bright and inviting furniture and a wide variety of toys and games. There were a good number of children present, many of whom were immediately at attention once the girls – sans Amane, who had run off to get dressed – entered the room. Many of them looked a bit nervous or uncomfortable, Tsukiko noted. That was understandable. Hope or not, this was still a house of the sick.

"And there they are now!" said one of the nurses once the library committee showed up. "We've all been expecting you, haven't we, everyone?"

As most of the children enthusiastically affirmed the nurse's words, Tsukiko felt the atmosphere in the waiting room change a little – the fear and nervousness that had been lying heavy in the air before had lifted slightly. Just knowing that the library committee was here to read to them – to provide them hope – was enough to make most of the children here feel a bit better. And just recognizing that made Tsukiko's heart feel a little bit warmer for a moment.

Under normal circumstances, Tsukiko would have reminded herself it was cruel of her to want to give these children hope for a future that would inevitably vanish, with or without Sardonyx's help. But everyone else in the library committee was so enthusiastic about this trip, and it was difficult for Tsukiko to not be swept up in that enthusiasm. So she let it happen. It was not like she could do anything about _that_ at the moment anyway.

And thus, the library committee's trip began in earnest – right after Amane, now clad in her princess attire, had torn into the room, tripped over her own feet, and faceplanted onto the floor, sending a wave of mirthful laughter through the room and a handful of library committee members flying to Amane's side to reassure her.

The effort and practice that each and every member had put into their presentation paid off wonderfully. The puppet show that several library committee members put on as Nanami recounted the tale of a brave knight and a dragon who did not want to hurt anyone was a big hit, and Amane's enthusiastic reading of the story of a princess who found an ingenious way to save her kingdom from a wicked spell had the children sitting rapt with attention. And it been a bit difficult for Tsukiko to get through her reading of _The Velveteen Rabbit_ without crying. But the children seemed to enjoy her performance, judging by the enthusiastic ovation she earned.

The fear and nervousness in the air had cleared quite a bit by the end, Tsukiko noted as the visit concluded, and a nurse warmly thanked the committee for their efforts today. Her own heart felt so much warmer as well. It seemed that giving hope to others really was that important.

Tsukiko's smiled contentedly as she stepped back and took in the environment, even as most of the library committee slowly filtered out of the room. It was a nice feeling indeed. Almost enough to help her forget that…

…she was ultimately here to destroy this hope in the end, Tsukiko coldly reminded herself as the smile on her lips flickered and died. That was the very role she was here to play. Now that this charade was over, she could work on getting Nanami to herself. And then…

"That was really lovely, wasn't it, Tsukiko?" said Nanami as she finished putting away her puppets in their folder and joined the younger twin. "I can tell we definitely made a difference today."

"We sure did!" said Amane as she popped up besides Nanami. "Thank you so much for your help, you two! You should be proud of yourselves!"

Tsukiko sharply averted her eyes. "I have nothing to be proud of." she said darkly.

Nanami cast a worried glance in Tsukiko's direction. "Tsukiko? Are you certain everything is alright?"

"Yeah… I'm fine." Even as Tsukiko spoke, she refused to make eye contact with Nanami. "If it was something big, I would come to you, Nagisa-san. I promise."

Nanami did not seem to buy what Tsukiko was saying, but her attention was quickly diverted from the younger twin once someone cleared her throat nearby. The someone in question turned out to be Bunko Kijima, who was pushing a frail-looking young boy with blond hair in a wheelchair. There was an unreadable expression on Bunko's face for a moment as she locked eyes with Nanami, before she finally spoke.

"Oh. So, you were one of the people who was reading to the kids, huh?"

"You would be correct, Kijima-san." There was a slight edge in Nanami's voice as she addressed Bunko. It quickly vanished once she moved to address the boy with her. "I sincerely apologize – it seems we just missed one another." She cast an inquisitive glance in Amane and Tsukiko's direction. "Perhaps we could perform an encore?"

Amane looked aside. "Sorry, Nanami, but I have to be going soon. I promised Aono-san I'd help organize her garage, and I don't want to keep her waiting."

"Yeah, I need to go home as well." Tsukiko mentally thanked Amane for removing herself as an obstacle. "I have things to take care of."

Bunko looked more than a bit irked with what she was hearing, but once she caught the way the boy with her was looking at her, her demeanor softened a bit. "I totally get it. Sorry, Banri." she told the boy. "Better luck next time?"

"It's really okay." the boy, Banri, informed the rest of the group. "Please don't worry about what big sis thinks – I don't want to make you stay too long. You'll be back, though, right?"

Bunko's eyes flitted back and forth, as if she was afraid of being listened to, before she added "Yeah… don't tell Aiko or Chieko, but I'd like that a lot? I know we're not on the best terms. You don't have to do it for me. But my little brother…" Bunko's voice trailed off into uncomfortable silence, but the way she was looked at Banri, coupled with Banri's own poor physical condition, said enough. "You can do it for him, right?"

"I would be glad to help, Kijima-san." Nanami said. "I would want someone to do the same for my own little sister, were I in your position."

Nanami's voice caught slightly on the last part. Nobody seemed to notice – save Tsukiko, who winced slightly at the indirect mention of Celes.

"You're a kind person, Nagisa-san." said Tsukiko. Kind but foolish. Good to exploit. That was how she had to think. "And… I think I might come back as well." she told Banri. Because she was a fool. "This was a lot of fun." But it was pointless. "I would love to do it again sometime." And she should have been ashamed of herself for thinking that way.

Tsukiko followed Nanami out of the waiting room, leaving Amane with the Kijima siblings.

"Well, uh…" Amane cast a nervous glance at Bunko as she edged towards the waiting room entrance. "See you around, Kijima-san." As she moved to leave, she paused in her tracks, took a deep breath, and added "Listen. If you hurt Nagisa-san or Himi-san or… or anyone again, I won't visit. That's final."

Bunko's lip twitched a bit, and she looked on the edge of snapping at Amane, but the look Banri was giving her immediately deflated her look of annoyance. "Right, fine." she said. "Have a nice day, Yamaguchi-san."

"What did she mean by hurting people, sis?" Banri asked as Amane left. "You wouldn't actually…?"

"Don't worry about it." Bunko looked aside uncomfortably as she spoke. "It's nothing. Really."

"If you say so…" said Banri. He didn't seem to buy his older sister's words at all. But he didn't seem to have the heart to make that known either.

* * *

"Do you think your little sister would have enjoyed this?" Tsukiko asked as she and Nanami walked back towards the train station together.

The two were taking the long way around, ostensibly because Tsukiko needed the fresh air, officially because that was part of the younger twin's marching orders. Part of her felt awful for bringing up Celes again, after Kohaku had asked her not to, but then, that didn't matter, did it? Besides, any kind of small talk kept her mind off of the looming inevitability of… _that_.

"I believe she would have." Nanami said. "She really did love to be read to when she was small. Mind, I'm sure she'd insist she was too for it now now, but…" She sighed sadly as she trailed off into silence.

"You really miss her, huh?"

Nanami nodded hesitantly. "Every day. Honestly, I'm a bit jealous of you and Yuu sometimes. My sister and I did almost everything together once. You and Yuu are like that, right?"

"I guess." Tsukiko said as she and Nanami continued on her way. "The two of us have been inseparable for as long as I can remember. We've always done a lot together ourselves. But lately…" She noticed that Nanami had stopped in her tracks and was staring ahead at something. Or someone, rather. "Nagisa-san?"

Nanami did not respond. She was too focused on the small figure slouched like a broken doll against the wall of a nearby alleyway. Her lips formed an unvoiced 'Is that…?' as she stared at the figure for a few moments more before taking one step forwards, then another…

Part of Tsukiko wanted to stop Nanami before it was too late, and the princess had walked right into the snare she had helped lay out. But that part of her did not merit listening to. It didn't matter how she felt. Or what she had found. Or what she could have been to Nanami in a different world. It didn't matter. _It didn't matter._

So instead, she tried to look as blank and oblivious as possible. "Nagisa-san? Isn't that your sister?"

"I… I believe so." hesitated but only briefly before she dashed forwards, her expression equal parts relief and worry. "Celes!"

And Tsukiko stood there and did nothing. Because that was what she had been ordered to do at this point in the plan. Nothing.

Celes, who was holding Vulpecula close to her chest, did not respond to Nanami calling out to her. She did not even seem to register her sister's presence for a moment. But finally, she looked up and into her sister's eyes. She shrank back against the wall once she properly registered that Nanami was standing before her, as if she feared her older sister was about to retaliate against her.

"Nerissa? Why are you…?" Celes turned away sharply. "Forget it. Leave me alone. I deserve to be thrown away, after what I did."

Nanami simply shook her hand before extending her hand out to Celes. The younger girl stared at it, as if she didn't know what it was for, before she finally accepted it. Nanami helped Celes to her feet, right before pulling her into a tight hug.

"No matter what you did, you're still my precious little sister." Nanami's glasses were fogging up a bit as she held Celes close. "I would never just leave you."

"B-but…" Celes stammered. "But Illuster… Mother… everyone was… because of me… Illuster was…" Her voice gradually cracked as she spoke, her small form trembling with anger and grief. "And I… I tried to… I hurt…" Whatever the young girl was going to say next rapidly devolved into incoherent sobbing.

"You're a good girl, Celes." Nanami said gently as she smoothed her sister's hair. "There is no way I could hate you or wish you harm, no matter what you did. And there's no way your mishandling of the Orgel was out of malice. Whatever the reason, we can fix it."

As Celes continued to sob, she looked over Nanami's shoulder and locked eyes with Tsukiko, an unspoken 'don't blow this for me' in her gaze. The younger princess smiled thinly as she made the fruit of her sewing project – a small, embroidered recreation of the Celestial Citadel appear in her hand before she broke away from Nanami.

"Even after everything, you still believe in me. You're amazing, Nerissa." Celes sniffled a bit. "But… I'd like that. I really want to go back too." She offered her sister a tearful smile as she let her see her embroidery. "See, Nerissa? I made it myself, when I was trapped with Sardonyx. It's what I want more than anything, even after what I did. You can have it, if you want?"

Nanami took a moment to polish and replace her glasses before nodding. "Of course, Celes. When have I ever passed up anything you made for me?" Some tiny part of her was sounding alarm bells in her head as she moved to accept the gift. But the part of Nanami that wanted to believe in her sister even after everything was much louder. "Thank you so much!"

The embroidery flashed with dark violet light the second it touched Nanami's hand. The elder princess' eyes widened in shock as her body arched in pain, as if hit by a jolt of electricity, and her folder slid from her grasp and onto the ground, sending paper puppets spilling every which way onto the sidewalk.

And all the while, Celes laughed brokenly as she watched her older sister stagger backwards, staring at her in disbelief for a moment before she collapsed onto the ground like a broken doll.

"No, Nerissa, thank you." Celes was trying to sound remorseless as she looked upon her sister's prone form. She wasn't quite making it. "You made this far too easy."

Tsukiko stared uncomprehendingly at Nanami's form for a moment – had one of Pretty Cure been felled that easily? – before she stepped forwards. "It didn't sound like she was mad at you at all." she said quietly. "It sounded like…"

Celes scowled. "Yes, she was!" she spat at Tsukiko, even as Nanami suddenly rose to her feeet. Nanami's eyes were lightless, and her posture was slumped. She might as well have been a fancy marionette. "She hates me! I betrayed her precious kingdom, after all." At least I gave it back to her."

Tsukiko's mouth worked silently, but she couldn't make anything come out. Her mind was a morass of anger at herself for doing nothing to stop Celes, followed by more anger at herself for feeling awful over this, because anything that advanced Sardonyx's interests was good, so why was she…

There was a flash of blue light and an upward gust of wind, and suddenly, Yuu was standing next to her sister, looking as nonchalant as Tsukiko was horrified.

"Why are you so upset, Selenite?" Yuu asked coolly. "Were it not for you, she wouldn't have known where Delphinus was." She patted her twin on the shoulder. "You were useful. Be proud."

"I guess that's right." Tsukiko responded numbly. No, it wasn't. "I did something useful." No, she hadn't. "Pretty Cure really is so stupid." And yet, she felt like the real stupid one here.

"All that prowess, and they're still done in by their sentimental attachments." Yuu said. She turned away from the princesses. "Well, if that's done, we should get rid of Leo. The sooner we can return to Lady Sardonyx's side, the better. Come on, Selenite."

"And where do you think you're going?" Celes snapped indignantly at the twins, who had moved to leave.

"Selenite played her part, didn't she?" Yuu said. "And this is _your_ plan, isn't it? So why do we need to stick around?"

"Because Lady Sardonyx ordered you to!" Celes stomped her foot for emphasis as she tried to look as intimidating as a ten-year-old could. "She said you had to help me, Tourmaline! You have no choice! Your life for her, right?"

Yuu's lip curled in disgust at the reminder that yes, Sardonyx had outright ordered her and Selenite to help Celes.

"Fine." Yuu said darkly. "But only because Lady Sardonyx willed it. Don't think you have actual authority over me."

"What are we doing anyway?" Tsukiko asked as she shot a worried glance at Nanami, who was still staring blankly into space. "You aren't going to just leave her like that, right?"

"Don't be stupid." Celes sniffed. "Nerissa is my puppet now. I can make her do anything I want." She moved her hand, mouthing a series of incantations, causing the light to return to Nanami's eyes as if nothing had happened. "You can't touch the Orgel. And the librarian and that bodyguard won't let me near it. But Nerissa can open it. And those two will do anything Nerissa asks them to."

"Oh, I see. That's absolutely genius, Celes." Yuu could not sound more insincere if she tried.

" _Lady_ Celes." the younger princess fired back, answering Yuu's roll of the eyes with a death glare. "And it _is_ genius! As long as Nerissa doesn't wake up,everthing will go perfectly. And she'll never want to wake up." She nodded to Nanami. "Now go, Nerissa. I'm sure the bodyguard or the librarian is around here somewhere. Find them for me, won't you?"

Tsukiko stared hollowly after Nanami, her stomach lurching as she watched the same girl who had so kindly offered her an understanding ear whenever she had a problem march off like a wind-up doll.

 _Nagisa-san… Delphinus… please be alright._

* * *

"Nerissa?"

Nanami felt as if she were suspended in mid-air. She could see nothing - her surroundings were an endless, pitch-black void. For a moment, she was overwhelmed by a sense of blind panic at her situation, and then...

"Nerissa, can you hear me?"

...those feelings rapidly dissipated as a voice called out to her from somewhere far away. Why had she been panicking? She couldn't remember anymore. And it probably didn't matter.

"Wake up, Nerissa."

Nanami sensed the gentle weight of bedclothes as she gradually registered that yes, she must have been dreaming. As she laid there, gathering her bearings, she felt the gentle presence of mana in the air, mingled with that of the Rainbow Melody, both things that filled her with an immense sense of relief. And as her eyes slowly fluttered open, she was met with the concerned visage of Queen Lucinda of Illuster.

"Mother? What are you doing here?"

Lucinda smiled gently. "One of the serving staff informed me that you still hadn't woken up, so I decided to check in on you." As she gently ruffled Nanami's hair, she added "I cannot judge you for sleeping so soundly - I am certain your eighth birthday was a tiring affair. But it's only understandable for me to worry about my only daughter."

Nanami... Nerissa did a double-take at that one as she sat bolt upright in bed. Eight? Only daughter? Neither of those seemed right at all! But the mirror on the other side of her bedroom clearly reflected a young child, and she could not remember any siblings.

"It certainly is. I apologize for troubling you, Mother." Nerissa tried to banish the nagging conviction that she was forgetting something as she pushed the bedclothes aside. "Where is Amber?"

"In one of the sitting rooms, waiting for news of your recovery." Lucinda said. "She's been worrying herself sick over you, you know."

Nerissa smiled fondly at that one. "That's just like Amber. I'm so lucky she's my-"

 _I'm so lucky to have you as my partner!_

Nerissa frowned, pressing a hand to her head. There was that feeling again, like she was missing something! But… what was it?

"Nerissa?" Lucinda asked. "Is everything alright?"

For a moment, Nerissa wanted to say that no, everything was not alright, she had forgotten something very important, but the longer she looked into her mother's eyes, the more reassured she felt, until she was left wondering why she had been troubled at all.

"Of course!" Nerissa hopped out of bed and stretched. "Tell Amber I'll be ready posthaste, Mother. And thank you for checking in on me. I would hate to keep you from your duties longer than needed, but…"

Lucinda shook her head. "Please don't worry, Nerissa. I may be the queen of Illuster, but I am still your mother. I can always make time for my precious daughter."

As Lucinda moved to leave, Nerissa started after her. "Wait, Mother – before you depart, might I request one thing?"

"Name it, and it is yours."

"May I have a hug?" Nerissa asked. The second Lucinda obliged, she eagerly leaned into her mother's embrace and broke down crying. "Oh, Mother – I missed you so much!"

"Oh, Nerissa." Lucinda gently smoothed her daughter's hair. "I was only gone for a day." She shushed her gently. "It must have been a terrible dream you were having. But you're awake now, Nerissa. I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm glad, Mother." Nerissa said quietly, tears of relief streaming down her cheeks. "We'll be together forever."

* * *

Nanami was not answering Kohaku's texts.

At first, Kohaku had managed to write this off, even in the face of the anxiety it stirred within her. Yes, Nanami usually answered her texts within a few moments of Kohaku sending them, and if it took longer, she always had an explanation. But Nanami was in the middle of a major library committee trip, right? She could have just been too busy to text Kohaku. Or maybe the reception didn't work in the hospital.

No matter the reason, Nanami must have been perfectly fine. Kohaku kept telling herself that as she set to work shopping for groceries on Tsubasa's behalf. There was no need for her to worry about her partner's welfare. If something big was going on, Nanami would have been sure to let her know.

And then Tsubasa had asked after Nanami after Kohaku returned, pointing out that she still hadn't returned home and that she had yet to answer her phone, and Kohaku promptly decided that maybe the fearful part of her brain merited listening to.

Nanami was not at the hospital anymore. But her puppets and their folder were lying a few blocks away, scattered carelessly onto the ground like garbage. And that was when panic set in for Kohaku. Nanami had been so proud of her creations, she mused as she set about rescuing them. She had put so much love and care into each one. She wouldn't just throw them away!

Kohaku hit the ground running. She got plenty of stares for dashing around downtown Seizato as frantically as she did , and her fearful calls for Nanami earned her even more staring. Kohaku was beyond caring about that. All that mattered was Nanami and how something might have happened to-

"Kohaku? What are you doing?"

Kohaku narrowly missed careening into… Nanami, who was idling in the middle of one of downtown Seizato's sidewalks. She seemed perfectly unharmed.

"Nanami?" she sputtered, once she finally got her mouth to work. "What are you… why weren't you answering your texts?"

Nanami immediately looked terribly cowed. "I'm so sorry, Kohaku! I suppose I was a bit distracted!"

"Maybe more than a bit." Kohaku said as she offered Nanami her folder. "You forgot your puppets as well. Is everything alright?"

Nanami accepted the folder with a sheepish smile. "I have had quite a bit on my mind, but I didn't realize it was affecting me this badly."

"I'll say." Kohaku cast a worried glance at Nanami as the two fell in step together. "Then, your mother spent an evening nearly walking into walls when you got sick after your eighth birthday. Guess it runs in the family."

"I suppose so." Nanami said. She seemed normal, but Kohaku felt something... _off_ about her demeanor. "Well... we should be heading home. We need to transfer the Rainbow Energy we've gathered into the Orgel, don't we?"

Kohaku paused in her tracks, staring at Nanami in confusion. "Nanami, we did that this morning." She bit back the urge to start panicking, because something was definitely wrong here. "If you want to look at the Orgel for nostalgia's sake, just say so. But ultimately, that's up to Sirius."

Nanami looked mildly disappointed for a moment, before she immediately recovered. "But of course! Where did Siri go off to anyway?"

"They decided to go hunt for the Soaring and Lunar Medallions again." Kohaku sighed. "I told them not to go without me, but they insisted. They said they were strongly sensing the presence of one around downtown Seizato."

"Oh dear." said Nanami. "We should track them down, shouldn't we?"

"That sounds like the best course of action." Kohaku tried to hide just how ill at ease she felt. "The sooner we find Sirius, the sooner we can take care of both our problems."

And hopefully, the hunt for Sirius would give her ample time to figure out just what was going on with Nanami, Kohaku mused as the two walked off hand-in-hand, mentally praying that she could find a way to help her partner.

* * *

Even now, Tourmaline was worried about Sardonyx. The Void Clan leader had begun to suffer from bouts of fatigue, along with the odd fever, causing whatever room she occupied to heat up by several degreees. And she had been getting better and better for a time. What was going on?

…Selenite had mentioned Sardonyx having a strange spell some time ago, where she had clearly not been herself. And her condition had seemed to decline a great deal after that. But Tourmaline refused to press Sardonyx herself on the issue, worried or not. It was not her place to do so. All she could do was follow Sardonyx's orders.

And that was why the twins were stuck babysitting Celes. Because Sardonyx had ordered them to look after Celes while Agate waited on Sardonyx. Tourmaline would have rather ate poison... but an order from Sardonyx was an order that had to be obeyed. It never mattered how any of them felt.

Tourmaline was staring after Nanami and Kohaku from her vantage point atop a nearby building, a frown crossing her features as she made the wind carry their words towards her, her Selenite, who was huddled miserably nearby, and Celes, whose lips occasionally moved unvoiced orders as she keenly monitored her older sister's movements.

"Two more Medallions?" Tourmaline muttered. "Don't tell me there are more Pretty Cure."

"Oh, you didn't know?" Celes said with enough smugness to make Tourmaline want to ditch her right there. Pretty Cure is supposed to be four people. I guess they lost two of the Roaring Medallions." She smirked. "Not that it matters. Those two will never survive long enough to find new members."

Tourmaline clenched her fist. "I will _not_ let Pretty Cure have that advantage." Her lips moved silently as a number of crows suddenly touched down on the building around her, staring up at Tourmaline with expectant black eyes. "Luckily, I have numbers on my side."

"Who cares about the stupid Medallions?" Celes snapped, stomping her foot indignantly as she glared at Tourmaline and the crow army she had suddenly assembled. "We need to tail Pretty Cure!"

Tourmaline stared blankly at Celes. "I _could_ forget the Medallions, couldn't I? After all, they don't really factor into your plan, do they, Celes?" She turned away sharply, a smirk on her face. "However, I refuse."

"You can't! You're forbidden from refusing! That's a royal decree!" Celes huffed. "And it's _Lady_ Celes!"

Tourmaline ignored Celes. Instead, she issued unspoken commands to the crows around her. They seemed to understand her non-verbal edicts just fine, judging by how they immediately took wing. Finally, she spoke.

"Lady Sardonyx ordered us to assist you in your mission. She never forbid me from doing anything on the side. And I answer to her, not you."

"She's not wrong." Selenite said absently. "And we should probably leave soon. We might lose track of Pretty Cure."

"And _obviously_ , you take her side." Celes sniffed. "Stupid twins." She took a moment to sulk before she finally reminded herself that yes, right, Selenite did have a point. "Whatever. Let's go."

 _It won't be long, Nerissa._ Celes thought to herself as she and the twins vanished in a flash of silver and blue light. _You'll be dealt with soon enough._

She tried to ignore how badly her chest ached at the thought of taking down her older sister. After all, she had sealed her fate the moment she had opened the Orgel. There was no getting away from any of this. Not for someone like her.

* * *

Nerissa knew that she should not have been as excited about exploring the Celestial Citadel as she was. She had bemoaned being unable to leave it unsupervised many times throughout her life. It should not have been anything novel, not for a princess like herself. And yet she found herself spending the entire morning eagerly exploring every last inch of it with Amber in tow, occasionally stopping to throw out an over-enthusiastic greeting to everyone she met along the way, drink in the generous amount of mana in the air, or marvel at the presence of the Rainbow Melody, as if all of this was very much new to her.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay, Nerissa?" Amber asked as Nerissa stopped to regale a painting hanging in one of the halls – a portrait of herself and Queen Lucinda. There seemed to be an empty space in the painting. It made Nerissa feel a bit disoriented. "You're acting like you haven't seen this stuff in years."

"Part of me feels like I haven't." Nerissa took one last moment to inspect the painting, trying her best to shake the strange notion that someone was missing. She couldn't quite do it. "It's funny… I feel like I was away for a very long time."

And still that she had forgotten something important, but then, Nerissa could have been imagining that. Perhaps exhaustion really had gotten to her.

Eventually, Nerissa and Amber ended up in the Citadel ballroom, which showed no signs of having been the epicenter of her birthday festivities the night before. Standing here like this, or really, just being here in Illuster like this made Nerissa want to twirl out of pure joy, and so she did, her delighted "I'm so glad to be back!" echoing off the ballroom walls as she twirled around, faster and faster, the momentum she had built up carrying her towards Amber.

Amber managed to half Nerissa's momentum, catching and twirling the small princess once before she steadied her in her arms. Well, she tried to steady her in her arms anyway. She made a decent effort, but in the end, she was still an eight-year-old trying to catch another, smaller eight-year-old. She was sent tumbling onto the ballroom floor, the now rather dizzy Nerissa promptly falling on top of her. The two girls laid there like that for a moment before Nerissa snapped to attention.

"Oh my!" Nerissa squeaked, scrambling to her feet before helping Amber up. "I'm so sorry, Amber! Are you alright?"

"N-no, it's my fault." Amber muttered, brushing herself off. "And I'm fine, Nerissa. Don't worry." She sighed a bit. "One day, I'll be as tall as Mother. Then I'll catch you easily."

Nerissa cringed slightly at the mention of Alexandria Lowe. She could not understand why. Intellectually, she understood Amber's mother to be an admirable woman, but for whatever reason, merely thinking about her had bile rising in her throat and the desperate urge to change the subject blaring in her mind. And thus, she did just that.

"The party certainly was wonderful." Nerissa said as she took a few echoing footsteps into the ballroom. "The orchestra, the gifts, the decorations the two of us created, the food… was the roasted quail to your liking, Amber?"

Amber looked thoroughly baffled. "There was quail?" she said. "And what are you talking about? You're too young to be trusted with creating decorations, aren't you, Nerissa? And last time I checked, there wasn't two of you." Amber walked up to Nerissa and briefly laid a hand on her forehead. "You don't feel feverish, but…"

Nerissa frowned, pressing a hand to her head. "R-right, I… I don't know why I said that. I'm only eight. I don't have a sister. All of… that was a bad dream." Repeating it didn't make that tiny feeling of wrongness in the back of her mind go away. Maybe there had been something missing from the painting. Maybe she had forgotten something. "Perhaps fresh air would help?"

"I hope so." Amber said. "You're really starting to worry me, Nerissa."

"That's understandable." Nerissa said. "I'm starting to worry me, honestly…" She offered the bodyguard her hand. "Then, let's go, Amber!"

Amber nodded eagerly, a bright smile blossoming on her face. "Okay, Nerissa!"

The princess and her bodyguard spent the next while adventuring together. They went picking apples in one of the orchards near the Celestial Citadel, although Nerissa found herself reluctant to get any further than halfway up the tree for fear of falling, despite another part of her being certain she was capable of going higher. They eagerly explored the forests surrounding the Citadel, Nerissa occasionally stopping to listen in on the Rainbow Melody and wonder why she felt as if she had been deprived of it for so lon. And they spent some time wandering about the upper class districts of Illuster, Nerissa taking in the surroundings with the eyes of a child seeing everything for the first time.

Mind, Nerissa and Amber were not able to move through town unbothered. The princess was not dressed particularly ostentatiously, but she was still clearly identifiable as the kingdom's princess. Nerissa found herself being stopped every few steps of the way, either to be fussed over or asked for personal favors before Amber led her away, muttering "Please leave the princess alone" with all the stern authority a child could manage.

"I wish they wouldn't do that." Nerissa sighed as she and Amber beat a retreat to the outskirts of Illuster, away from any more prying attentions for the time being. "I was growing used to not being treated that way." She hesitated the moment after she spoke, because when she ever been able to enjoy that privilege in her life? That… must have been more confusion on her end. Surely. "But I must accept it gracefully. Mother always told us that."

"Nerissa, are you sure you don't need to rest?" Amber asked.

"Hopefully not." Nerissa tried her best to push back the conviction that she had forgotten something, lest she worry Amber more.

It didn't take. Even after Nerissa and Amber removed themselves from the streets of Illuster and any prying eyes in favor of lying on a hillside overlooking the city, the feelings of confusion and loss only persisted. In fact, they grew in intensity as Nerissa joined Amber in gazing at the clouds drifting by. Normally, this was a fun activity – the two could spend hours cloud-gazing like this, with Nerissa thinking up stories about the shapes she spotted floating in the sky. But right now…

"I wish we could play together like this forever, Nerissa." Amber said wistfully.

"Yeah…" Nerissa said absently as she watched the clouds drift by. One looked like a dolphin, another looked like a lion, and both made the feeling of loss in her heart grow more intense. Even the sky itself was bothering her terribly. "I'm so glad you're my partner."

Amber rolled onto her side, quirking an eyebrow at Nerissa. "Partner… that's a new one." she said. "But it's nice. I'd take partners over master and retainer." She frowned, having noticed how Nerissa was more focused on scrutinizing the sky, looking more and more upset as she did so. "Nerissa?"

"I don't understand…" Nerissa said quietly. "It's just the sky, Amber. Why does looking at it make me so upset?"

The sky… there was something about the sky, or someone connected with the sky, something… someone was missing, and… a bit of pain lanced through Nerissa's head at that moment. The princess sat bolt upright, wincing in pain as a memory floated unbidden into her mind.

 _"I want you to meet someone special, Nerissa."_

Amber was calling out to Nerissa in concern, but her partner (why did she think about her friend in such a way?) sounded so far away at present. Nerissa felt as if she was drowning in a sea of her own thoughts, her eyes closing as her brain searched for something, anything that might be a key to the mystery she had run headlong into.

 _"Just as you are the sea, she is the sky. I'm sure the two of you will always be connected. Please take good care of-"_

Nerissa's eyes snapped open. "Celes!" she cried as she sprang to her feet. "Amber, we have to find Celes!"

Amber looked terribly lost. "Who is Celes?"

"I don't know." Nerissa deflated, but only momentarily. "I just know she's someone important! Someone who should be here but isn't. Someone we need to find!" She looked at Amber, a hint of desperation in her eyes. "You'll help me, right, Amber?"

"Of course." Amber said. "But-"

Amber did not get to finish that sentence. Before she could, Nerissa had torn off in the direction of the Celestial Citadel as if her life depended on it, leaving her to chase after her princess.

Something in the back of Nerissa's mind was screaming at her to stop, telling her that she needed to stay put and just appreciate the happiness she had now, but the other part of her refused to listen and kept driving her forwards. Could she truly be happy if Celes, whoever she was, was gone from her life, leaving a conspicuous void? She couldn't make herself believe that.

* * *

Something was definitely wrong with Nanami. On the surface, everything seemed to be fine with her partner. She did not appear at all troubled, and she was carrying herself normally. But… something was off. Or rather, Kohaku mused as she and Nanami briefly idled in Seizato's town square, something was missing. It was as if someone had cordoned off some vital component of Nanami's spirit, leaving whatever was left to animate her body.

Her mother would hate her for letting this happen to one of the princesses. That was the first thing that floated into Kohaku's head… before she sharply reminded herself that she couldn't worry about that. Alexandria was gone, and her opinions on Kohaku should not have mattered anyway. What mattered was that something had happened to Nanami, and she had to fix this. But how?

Making a scene wouldn't help her case. If the Void Clan was involved, then playing her hand too early would put her and Nanami in danger.. and attract unwanted attention from the many passers-by at this hour. Asking Nanami outright wasn't an option. She would likely deny being ensorcelled. And removing whatever enchantments had been placed on Nanami was definitely not an option for Kohaku. She knew next to nil about magic.

But Sirius… Sirius would likely know what to do, Kohaku told herself. Once they tracked them down…

…before Kohaku could finish that thought, Nanami suddenly stopped in her tracks and pressed a hand to her head, as if she had suddenly been afflicted by a piercing headache.

"Nanami!" Kohaku flew to the side of her partner, who barely seemed to notice that she was there.

"Celes…" Nanami whimpered painfully. She did not respond to Kohaku's efforts to comfort her. She remained frozen for several moments before she suddenly straightened back up, blinking several times as she regarded Kohaku quizzically. "Are you okay, Kohaku?" she asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Kohaku did her best to look as blasé as possible as she regarded Nanami, despite not feeling blasé at all. "Oh, I'm fine." she said. "I'm more concerned about you, Nanami." Her and the person who was almost definitely behind her partner's current state. "But don't worry. We'll track down Sirius soon enough."

And then she and her partner were off, Kohaku trying to pretend she did not notice the way the crows in the area were staring at her or the rather odd smile she had spotted on her partner's face out of the corner of her eye.

Sirius was near the outskirts of downtown Seizato. The librarian, who was currently in their humanoid form, looked terribly despondent, which told Kohaku everything she needed to know about how lucky they had been in their search for the missing Medallions. Nevertheless, they perked right back up the moment they spotted the Cures.

"Oh, hello, hello, Lady Nanami, Kohaku!" Sirius eagerly waved a hand. "How goes it?"

"It… it goes." said Kohaku. "No luck with the Medallions, I'm guessing?"

Sirius whined softly. "Not at all, not at all. It makes little sense – I could clearly smell one in the area, I thought I had chased it down, but then I suddenly lost the scent, and I haven't been able to get it back!" They shook their head. "Ah well." They shot a concerned glance at the spaced out Nanami. "Hm? Lady Nanami? Is everything alright?"

"Siri…" said Nanami. "This is a bit out of nowhere, but might I be able to see the Orgel?"

Before Sirius could respond, Kohaku stepped in. "Nanami, don't you remember? We need to find where Sirius hid the Orgel this time." She shot a _please, just go with this_ glance at Sirius out of the corner of her eye. "It's alright if I come along this time, isn't it?" she asked Sirius. "Even a servant is entitled to the odd exception, right?"

"I suppose I can allow you in on this, yes, yes." Sirius said. "But just this once." They paused uncomfortably, clearly forcing themselves not to notice the multiple beady eyes watching their every move before they added "You remember the clearing in the forest near Sorairo Academy? That's where I chose to hide the Orgel this time, Lady Nanami."

Nanami clapped her hands together in delight. "How apropos, Siri!" she exulted before pulling the librarian into a tight hug. "Thank you so much!" She bolted off, shooting once last glance towards Kohaku and Sirius. "Come on, you two! I'll race you there!"

Kohaku and Sirius both exchanged glances before they nodded and hurried to catch up with Nanami.

* * *

The good news was that, over the course of tailing Pretty Cure and eventually, that idiotic librarian dog, Tourmaline had become the proud owner of a veritable litany of shiny objects. The bad news was that not a single one of these shiny objects was a Roaring Medallion.

At present, the twins and Celes were staking out the clearing in the forest near Sorairo, waiting for Pretty Cure to stumble into their trap. Or rather, Celes was waiting for it. Tourmaline could not spare too much care for a plan that struck her as rather stupid and was instead discarding even more worthless pieces of shiny junk to the sound of many disappointed caws.

"I don't think you tried at all." Tourmaline deadpanned bitterly as she disdainfully tossed the soda tab, myriad yen pieces, and guitar pick the crows had presented over her shoulder. "I told you, a medallion. A _medallion_." She looked aside, pressing a hand to her temple. "Aren't you supposed to be geniuses, as far as birds go? How disappointing."

"Well, that's what you get for relying on animals." Celes sniffed as the crows took wing, almost certainly in search of more worthless garbage. She took a moment to indulge in some elated gloating before she cast a quizzical glance in Tourmaline's direction. "How do they understand you anyway? I don't remember you talking to them."

"Oh, that?" Tourmaline said. "I couldn't explain it. I just have a way with birds. Kind of like how Agate has his thing with snakes and Selenite is good with rabbits." She frowned slightly as she stared down at her sister, who was seated at the base of a nearby tree and singing softly to herself as she played with a few rabbits that had congregated near her. "They accept us as one of their own."

Celes looked genuinely impressed by that one. "Huh… interesting. I wonder what kind of magic _that_ is." Both she and Vulpecula adopted the same contemplative pose, before her gaze hardened. "But your powers didn't do you any good, did they? In the end, I'll be the one to defeat Pretty Cure."

"Oh, shut up." Tourmaline snapped. "At least I'm trying to do something to actually impede Pretty Cure! What have you done, save make those idiots wander in circles?"

" _You_ shut up!" Celes snapped back. "I've done plenty! The bodyguard and the librarian took my bait super-easily! Once they show up here, it's all over!"

Tourmaline rolled her eyes at that one. "You were seen through once before, Celes." she sniffed. "How can you be so sure that Leo won't call your bluff again?"

" _Lady_ Celes." As if Tourmaline was ever going to call her that. "And she won't! She won't… because she won't! That's final!" She stamped her foot and huffed loudly before crossing her arms. Vulpecula followed suit. "Besides," she continued "even if that bodyguard did see through it, Nerissa isn't coming back. My sister is… gone." Her voice cracked just a little on that last bit. "She will never wake up again."

Selenite looked up from playing with the rabbits, one of which was lying in her lap while two more curiously nosed at her form, her gaze as sympathetic as it was distant.

"I'm so sorry, Lady Celes." she said. "It must be painful, having to do such terrible things to your older sister."

"Don't… don't be stupid, Selenite." Celes fired back. "Nerissa is the enemy now. The love we shared doesn't exist anymore. Only Lady Sardonyx matters to me."

"It's not relevant to us anyway." Tourmaline looked down coolly at her twin. "We will never find ourselves divided like that. In the end, we are always on the same page. Aren't we, Selenite?"

Tourmaline no longer sounded so certain of what she was saying. In fact, Selenite mused, she sounded a little like she was trying to convince herself of what had just come out of her mouth. But that did not merit saying, she reminded herself as she tore her gaze away. Oh no. It would only start trouble.

"Of course, Tourmaline." Selenite said dutifully, trying to ignore how hollowly the words rang in her mouth. She leaned back against the tree, staring up at the sky as she ran her fingers through the fur of the rabbit on her lap. "We will never be divided."

She wouldn't dare say it, but some part of her was hoping that Tourmaline was right – that Kohaku had called Celes' bluff. And that same part hoped that Celes was wrong – that Nanami would wake up again. She didn't feel at all prepared for the guilt she would surely end up drowning in, given the alternate possibility.

* * *

Nerissa was really beginning to wish she had listened to that voice telling her to stop.

No one remembered a Celes. Each and every citizen of Illuster that she interrogated responding by staring at her as if she had spoke nonsense or apologizing because they had no clue what she could be talking about or laughing because oh, my little girl has imaginary friends too! The Citadel's staff were no more receptive to the idea of a Celes existing than Illuster's citizenry had been. Most of them feared that she needed more bedrest.

"Can't we stop this, Nerissa?" Amber asked as Nerissa stormed away from one of the Citadel's gardeners, visibly fuming. "We're not going to get anywhere."

Nerissa shook her head as she marched past Amber. "I won't. I can't!" She took a deep breath, clearing trying to calm herself down before she nodded firmly. "I'll go to the library and speak with Siri. Even if nobody else believes me, they will."

Sirius did not believe her. "Celes?" they asked, staring quizzically at the princess from over the small tower of books stacked atop their desk. "Lady Nerissa, I'm very, very sorry, but I don't remember anyone by that name." They summoned a database terminal with a swipe of their hand, quickly paging through it before adding "There's no mention of anyone like that living within the Citadel either. Lady Nerissa, you need to-" Nerissa seemed too spaced out to listen to them. "Lady Nerissa?"

If Nerissa listened carefully enough, she could hear the sound of the Rainbow Melody, same as it had ever been. But if she kept listening, she could hear something lying beyond it - the sounds of muffled conversation. Someone who sounded like Amber, then someone who sounded like Sirius, and then… something that sounded like her own voice, asking to see the Orgel. She grimaced as more memories popped into her mind unbidden.

"No…" Nerissa said quietly, her voice growing more frantic as she spoke. "Siri, you're wrong. Celes was… she loved to visit the Temple of the Stars! She loved to look at the Orgel! And none of us thought anything of it! Until… until!" She winced, pressing a hand to her head as she staggered slightly. " _Why can't I remember_?"

"That's enough!" Amber cried as she moved to steady her princess. "Nerissa, please stop! There's no need for any of this!"

"Amber is right, yes, yes." Sirius said. "Lady Nerissa, don't you know how much Queen Lucinda would worry if-"

"You're right." Nerissa said. Lucinda would know, wouldn't she? "Please take me to Mother, Amber, Siri."

But Lucinda did not believe her either. "Nerissa, I'm growing quite concerned." she told her daughter, who was standing before her in the Citadel's audience chamber, Amber and Sirius standing nearby. "What can I do to ease your mind?"

"I wish I knew." Nerissa's voice was slightly strained and her eyes were watering a bit. At this point, she was ready to break down from pure frustration. "I'm not at all unhappy, Mother. Why would I be? I'm so fortunate to have been born into my station, to have a friend like Amber, to be able to live every day in peace. But…"

More muffled conversation caught Nerissa'sears. The person who sounded like her was leading the people who sounded like her and Sirius to somewhere isolated. She had to do something about it. She didn't understand why, or what the something she had to do would even be, but some deep-seated part of her mind was telling her that if she let herself stay like this, those two would… those two would…

"I want to stay here with you, Mother! I want to live like this forever!" Nerissa exclaimed as she burst into tears. "But… but there's some part of me that feels like I can't do that! That something terrible will happen if I remain here! That I'll forget something important!" Her eyes dropped to the ground. "J-just like everyone forgot Celes…"

Lucinda promptly rose from her throne and approached her daughter. Before Nerissa could say a thing, she pulled her into her embrace, her hands shining with white light as she sent magic through Nerissa's form.

"There, there." Lucinda said gently. "It will be alright, Nerissa. No more tears, okay?"

Nerissa nodded numbly, even as she leaned further into the embrace of her mother, who some part of her mind feared might vanish, should she let her go. Lucinda was right, wasn't she? Her mother always was. It would be alright. Everything would be fine. She was safe. There was nothing for her to cry over.

She couldn't make herself believe any of that.

* * *

The forest clearing seemed eerily silent this time of day. Even so, Kohaku could barely hear what little sounds did cut through the air – the Illuster refugees' footsteps, the sound of their breathing, and the occasionally flutter of wings or burst of birdsong over the sound of her own heart pounding in her ears.

Nanami was growing erratic. Several times now, the princess had frozen in her tracks and winced in pain, sending Kohaku and Sirius flying to her side out of concern, and every time, she had recovered a few moments later, thoroughly confused at how scared her fellows appeared, before continuing on her way. For a moment, Kohaku wondered if the enchantment that had been laid on Nanami was fading away. If maybe the princess would recover on her own, and all would be well.

It did not happen. Nanami was still clearly off as she strolled into the clearing, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Well, then!" she chirped, an eager smile on her face as she spun around to face Sirius. "Time to do the honors, Siri!"

Sirius stepped forward and nodded dutifully… before they approached Nanami and stared into her eyes, their form radiating slightly with silver light as they did so.

"I figured as much." they said solemnly. "You really were ensorcelled, Lady Nanami – I can feel Lady Celes' magic resonating quite strongly, yes, yes."

"What are you talking about, Siri?" Nanami asked as she staggered backwards, staring at the librarian in confusion. "There isn't anything wrong with me!"

Sirius shook their head. "Lady Nanami, I have known you and your sister since you were born. It's quite easy for me to sense your magical signatures… and for me to tell when you're clearly not yourself." They frowned. "But… I'm really, really not sure how to go about unraveling this curse. Lady Celes must have put a lot of work into it."

"I'm fine, Siri!" Nanami said. Her tone was growing desperate. "Really! Kohaku, Siri, I'm alright! Why won't you believe that? Please… if I can just see the Orgel-"

Kohaku shook her head. "I can't do that, Nanami. Not when you're not yourself. Not when…" She suddenly turned towards the trees on the outer edge of the clearing, readying her Roaring Compact as she spoke. "Celes! Tourmaline! I know you two are out there! Show yourself!"

Her demand was met with little more than dead silence at first. But then the sound of birds fluttering about could be heard, followed by the sound of twigs and leaves being crushed beneath small paws. Several crows alighted on nearby trees and several rabbits poking their heads out of the bushes. And then there was a gust of wind and a glimmer of light, and Tourmaline and Selenite appeared before the Illuster refugees, coolly regarding the group with lightless eyes.

"Don't bother trying to save your princess." Tourmaline said. "Her heart is lost to you."

"That's right." Selenite's tone was much more lifeless than usual. "She's gone. Give it up."

Before Kohaku could respond, there was a childish scream of rage, followed by the sound of several nearby objects being blasted with magic, and then a small tree near the twins was nailed with a blast of dark violet energy, causing it to snap in half and fall sideways onto the ground behind the pair as Celes stormed out into the open, Vulpecula floating besides her. The younger princess of Illuster was livid with rage, and her doll seemed to mirror her mood somewhat.

"What is wrong with you two?!" she snapped as she wheeled on the twins. "I was so close! _So close_! Just a bit more, and they would have dug up the Orgel for me!" She stomped her foot as hard as she could and blasted another tree past Tourmaline for good measure. "Why would you defy me like that?!"

Tourmaline bit her lip, a long hiss escaping from her mouth… before she finally burst out laughing. "Oh, Celes, I didn't know you were such a comedian! Do you really think Leo would-" She turned her attentions to Kohaku, who was clearly ready to transform the second one of her opponents made a false move, her gold eyes shining with uncharacteristic mirth as she regarded her rival. "You already saw through her, didn't you?"

"That's right." Kohaku inwardly marveled at herself for speaking casually with _Tourmaline_ , of all people. "Nanami is my partner, Celes! Did you really think I wouldn't notice something was wrong? That Nanami would fall for the sorts of lies I fed her?"

Kohaku looked out of the corner of her eye at Nanami as she spoke. Her partner's posture was slumped and her eyes were devoid of light. Sirius was whining frantically as they worked to do something about the enchantments laid upon her, but their magic didn't seem to be doing a thing. And Nanami didn't seem to notice. She… wasn't there.

The sight of Nanami in such a state made Kohaku's heart turn to ice and had Alexandria's voice ringing out in her ears, mocking her for not being there for her partner. Kohaku did her best to tune it out, difficult as it was. She needed to keep it together for Nanami's sake, she firmly reminded herself as she approached the nonplussed-looking Celes, who stood flanked on either side by the twins. As Kohaku drew closer, she transformed into Cure Leo in a flash of orange light.

"Please, Celes." There was an edge of desperation in Leo's otherwise stern voice. "There's no need to keep Nanami like this. Let her go." Celes did not respond. Leo kept going anyway. "She's my beloved partner! And your beloved sister! So please, if you have any sort of decency-!"

Celes fired a blast of dark violet energy from her fingertips at Leo. It missed the orange Cure by a hair, leaving it to burn a hole through a tree several yards behind her.

"Who are you to order me around?" she sneered. "Know your place, Amber!" She smirked. "And if you don't, I'll make you remember it!"

A chill wind blew behind Leo, who turned to find Nanami suddenly straightening up, shoving Sirius aside with unnatural strength as she regarded Leo with lightless eyes… before she withdrew her own Roaring Compact and transformed into Delphinus in a flash of pink light.

"Maybe I can't trick you into handing over the Orgel, but I can force you to do it." Celes said. "After all, you could never hurt Nerissa, right?"

"You wouldn't..." Leo started, before shaking her head because no, the Celes that existed now most certainly would. Sardonyx had clearly warped the heretofore bratty but harmless younger princess from the inside out, and this was the result.

"You want me to give her back? I will – if you hand over the Orgel!" Celes said. "But if you don't…" Before Celes could finish that sentence, the twins suddenly started forwards, clearly prepared to strike Leo in tandem. She rounded on them, her eyes glinting with fury. "And what do you two think you're doing?"

"Getting rid of Leo." Tourmaline said as she glanced over at Celes. "Wouldn't that be more efficient?"

"In the end, we should be the ones who defeat Pretty Cure." Selenite added. "There's no need to make them fight each other." She grimaced, looking aside. "It's… needless."

"Shut up!" Celes hissed. "If you take one step further, you'll be getting in my way! And if you get in my way, you'll be defying Lady Sardonyx!" She looked at Tourmaline, a smug smile on her face. "And that would stress her out a lot, right? It'd be really bad for her health, wouldn't it?"

Tourmaline hesitated for a moment longer before she nodded stiffly, and she and Selenite fell back… but not without considerable reluctance.

"Fine. We'll stand down. For now." Tourmaline said coldly.

"For now." Selenite echoed, even as she regarded the building confrontation between Leo and Delphinus with hollow eyes.

Leo barely even registered what the twins were doing. Any concerns about those two or Celes felt a million light years away in her mind as Delphinus advanced towards her. Celes was right. She didn't want to hurt Nanami. She just wanted to turn back time, so she could somehow warn Nanami that Celes was out there. She should have known that she would be and that her partner was far too soft-hearted towards her enemies, a trait Celes would have easily taken advantage of.

But wishful thinking would not save Nanami, Leo reminded herself as Delphinus threw herself towards her, swinging her fists blindly, forcing Leo to expertly parry her blows. She needed to act. She needed to believe she could do something. If Delphinus' heart was lost to her… she would just need to get it back. And if that meant setting her cynicism aside and trying her best to borrow the optimism Nanami seemed to hold a boundless supply of most of the time… so be it.

"I'll definitely save you, Nanami!" Leo said as she fought to parry Delphinus' blows, mentally apologizing to her partner each moment they clashed. "For your sake… I will not give up!"

* * *

Nerissa no longer suspected that something was wrong. She knew that something was wrong.

The world around her seemed to malfunction for a moment, the audience chamber of the Celestial Citadel twisting and warping. The figures of Lucinda, Amber, and Sirius faded in and out, causing her to pass right through Lucinda and sending her stumbling forwards onto the ground. Before Nerissa could reorient herself, a bolt of pain lanced through her skull, leaving her to cry out as she held her head. And the presence of the Rainbow Melody grew fainter, allowing her to hear the voices from beyond the veil more clearly.

She could hear Amber, who was begging someone to let her go. She could hear Sirius, who was whining as they spoke of wanting to help her. They could hear the voices of two unknown girls, who sounded oddly… familiar somehow. And she could hear the voice of a young girl, who…

 _"Please, Celes… she's my beloved partner! And your beloved sister!"_

…that was right. Sister. She had a sister, didn't she? Nerissa's eyes widened with realization as she struggled to her feet. That was who Celes was! That was why she missed her dearly! That was the crucial flaw in this world!

As Nerissa looked up, she felt her heart catch in her chest. The audience chamber, which had been empty a moment ago, was now packed wall to wall with familiar faces from around the Celestial Citadel, each and every one of them looking at Nerissa pleadingly.

"Please, Lady Nerissa, just put that girl out of your mind." Altair said. "You don't need to worry about someone like that."

"Wouldn't you be happier here?" one of the Citadel's maids asked. "You will always live comfortably, with your every need attended to."

"Time means nothing here!" Amber said. "We can stay like this forever, Nerissa! Isn't that what you wanted?"

"That girl is the reason you're separated from all of us." Lucinda said. "She's the reason you have to fight! Would you really take her back? Or would you rather stay with me like this?" She looked plaintively at her daughter. "Nerissa, you're my only daughter. My beloved only daughter. Please don't leave."

Nerissa looked around the room, meeting the pleading eyes of everyone present in turn… before shaking her head sadly. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe that. I… I don't remember anything about Celes, or what she did, or what the world I'm from is like, but…" She averted her gaze as her eyes welled with tears. "I know I can't stay here."

And then the world around Nerissa warped once more. She was driven to her knees yet again as her ears rang loudly and everyone around her flickered in and out of existence rapidly. Even as this happened, they kept begging her not to go. She forced herself not to listen. After all, this wasn't real. This wasn't where she was supposed to be.

No… Amber, Sirius, and Celes were outside waiting for her, along with… there was something she had to do, wasn't there? But any attempts to figure out what that something was were quickly derailed as the ringing in her ears grew louder and the pain in her head grew more pronounced, leaving Nerissa unable to do anything but try to endure.

* * *

Borrowing Nanami's optimism was easy to do in theory, but in practice, Leo was beginning to struggle badly.

True, Delphinus was less effective of a fighter under Celes' control than she would have been were she awake. Her punches and kicks were wildly-aimed, as were the blasts and torrents of water she sent at Leo. The orange Cure could dodge most of her attacks without breaking a sweat, and she could endure the physical pain when her attacks did connect. But the emotional pain of having to fight her partner was far more difficult to endure. And it seemed impossible to get through to Celes.

Sometimes, Delphinus would falter for a split second as she and Leo clashed. Sometimes, she seemed like she actually heard Leo's pleas for her to wake up. But it quickly passed, and she was back to attempting to beat down Leo, who wondered how much longer she could take this.

"Please, Delphinus!" Leo cried as Delphinus summoned her Blossom Flute and transformed it into its scepter mode, forcing her to do the same with her Tempest Guitar. "I don't want to do this!" Delphinus thrust the Blossom Scepter forwards, sending multiple blasts of water towards Leo, who promptly held the Tempest Saber forwards, summoning a large lightning-based shield… which rapidly shattered under the magical salvo Delphinus had sent her way, leaving Leo to stagger backwards. "Please, please wake up!"

"Give it up, Leo!" Celes said. "Nerissa will never want to wake up! After all, I gave her _exactly_ what she wanted."

Sirius, who had been stuck on the sidelines, unable to bring themselves to do anything, stared incredulously at Celes. "What could you possibly mean by that, Lady Celes? Lady Nerissa loves you! And I know you love her as well! What part of you thinks she would want this?!"

"As if Nerissa is actually here right now!" Celes snapped. "Her mind is trapped in Illuster. An Illuster from her childhood days. An Illuster without me in it." She clenched a fist. "If Nerissa loved me, then why isn't she awake? That's because she hates me! She wants a world where I didn't exist!"

No matter what Leo did, no matter what she said, Delphinus was proving relentless. Leo's heart was quickly threatening to crumble under the pressure of having to fight her partner like this. But she couldn't give up, she reminded herself as Delphinus swung the Blossom Scepter towards her, forcing Leo to try her best to parry it. She and Nanami were still here because they hadn't given up. Celes had to have been wrong, both about Delphinus being lost to her, and about…

"You can't honestly believe that!" Leo said, even as Delphinus broke from her attempts to disarm her and aimed a sharp jab at her stomach, forcing her to disengage. "Nanami loves you! She's always worrying about you, even now! And she _has_ been fighting this!" she added as she struggled to evade more attacks from Delphinus. "She wants to live in the same world as you!"

Celes replied by narrowing her eyes at Leo before firing another blast of dark magic in her direction. The orange Cure dodged the blow, but it caught her off guard just enough for Delphinus to nail her with a high-pressure blast of water from the Blossom Scepter. Leo was sent flying, hitting the ground heavily some yards away.

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Celes screamed as she stomped her foot several times. "You're wrong! You're _definitely_ wrong! She hates me! She wants me gone!" She sounded furious, but there was also an element of desperation in her voice. She _needed_ Nanami to hate her. "She's always felt that way about me!"

Selenite was not at all happy about any of this. The fact that she and her twin were stuck on the sidelines, Celes' need to believe her sister hated her, Delphinus' own state, and the fact that if she had just had the spine to say something, if she herself wasn't worried about how her own sister felt about her, none of this would be happening.

"I'm sick of this." the younger twin whispered as she averted her eyes.

"Same." Tourmaline said. "If we could deal with Leo, we could get back to Lady Sardonyx in no time at all."

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Selenite snapped. She turned away from Tourmaline the moment her twin opened her mouth, likely to say something oblivious, mock her for having a weak stomach, or both. She didn't have the patience for it. Not right now.

Leo gritted her teeth as she levered herself up off the ground. "I won't condemn you for having trouble leaving your dream, Nanami." she told Delphinus, who was advancing on her with lightless eyes. "I know how much you must miss it." She struggled to her feet and readied herself for Delphinus' attack. "But you must know it's not real. That you can't content yourself with an imitation."

Delphinus responded by charging forwards, her form glowing with pink light as she rushed to meet Leo, Blossom Scepter at the ready. Leo followed suit, her form blazing with orange light as charged towards Delphinus, Tempest Saber in hand.

"We will get the real thing back! But only if we work together!" Leo cried as she met Delphinus head on. "I can't do this alone!"

The two's Melody Arms blazed with colorful light as they met, created a shimmering nova of multicolored energy between the two of them. It only grew in intensity as the two stood deadlocked, Delphinus struggling to overwhelm Leo and Leo refusing to cede her ground to Delphinus.

"I love you! I want to be with you!" Leo's vivid orange eyes welled with tears as she gazed into Delphinus' lightless vivid pink ones. " _Nanami!_ "

* * *

 _"I love you! I want to be with you!"_

Those words cut through the fog of confusion and pain that had been filling Nerissa's head like a hot knife through butter. The moment she heard them, she sprang to her feet, reaching towards the source of the voice.

" _Kohaku!_ " she cried.

That was right, Nerissa… or rather, Nanami told herself as it all came flowing back to her. This world really was a dream. The Rainbow Melody had been destroyed. And most every person standing in front of her was trapped in the dead and silent world that Illuster had become, reduced to lifeless and empty shadows of their former selves. Leaving this world would mean facing all of that. But…

Nanami took a deep breath as her form rippled and shifted, glowing with pink light. When the light dissipated, she had reverted to her fourteen-year-old self, and everything around her, from the people of Illuster to her immediate surroundings was growing indistinct and translucent.

"I'm sorry, but I can't stay." Nanami told the dream version of Amber. "My beloved partner is waiting for me – I can't leave her to fight alone." Then, to the dream version of Sirius "And Siri… they must be worrying themselves into a frenzy. I shall have to apologize to them personally." And then finally…

Many of the people in the audience chamber had faded away or were almost completely gone at this point. But Lucinda remained mostly distinct. She gazed upon her daughter with pleading, almost desperate eyes as her form grew fainter and fainter.

"Are you really going to leave me, Nerissa?"

Nanami smiled sadly. "I miss you every day, Mother. But… this isn't real. And neither are you. The real Queen Lucinda would never speak so callously about Celes."

By now, almost everyone around Nanami had vanished. Only she and the dream Lucinda, who was growing more indistinct by the moment, remained.

"You could have been happy." Lucinda said. "We could have been together forever."

"I _am_ happy." Nanami said. "Being Cure Delphinus is scary at points, but it's also a lot of fun! I have made so many precious friends on Earth. And I don't think I have ever been closer to Kohaku. I really… I really love her a lot!"

Lucinda was quite nearly gone now. The sight made Nanami's heart ache terribly, but ultimately, she would endure. Just as she had since Illuster was taken from her. After all, this wasn't final. All of this, she could get back. As long as she didn't give up.

"We will be together again someday, Mother. You and I and Celes. That I swear. So…"

For a moment, Nanami wanted to bid goodbye to the phantom of her mother, who could just barely be seen. But no. That wouldn't do.

"See you soon, Mother."

And then the world around Nanami faded to white. Her vision quickly followed suit.

* * *

The light returned to Delphinus' eyes as the real world came into focus around her… and she was sent flying backwards by the kickback of an immense burst of energy. Her mind quickly gave way to blind panic, even as someone hurried towards her and caught her in their arms, and the panic didn't subside once she regained her bearings.

She was transformed and somewhere far from where she last remembered being. Sirius was holding her in their arms and looking more than a bit frazzled. And Leo, who was standing before her, looking terribly drained and distressed. Celes and the twins were standing nearby, the former staring at her elder sister with something between genuine shock and hatred, but none of them seemed involved in whatever fight had been going on. So, that meant…

Delphinus pulled herself away from Sirius, her eyes wide with horror as she drew away from them and Leo, swaying on her feet slightly. All this time, she must have been… all this time, Celes had been using her to…

"I'm sorry!" Her eyes were wide with distress. "Leo, Siri… because of me, you…"

But neither the librarian nor her partner seemed the least bit angry at her.

"I'm just glad you're okay, Lady Nanami." Sirius said as they reached out to stabilize her. "That's all that matters right now."

Leo offered Delphinus a gentle smile, banishing her Tempest Saber in a flash of orange light before she pulled her partner into a tight hug.

"Welcome back, Nanami."

Delphinus smiled gently as she leaned into Leo's embrace. "I'm home."

* * *

The castle audience chamber was positively sweltering at this point. Agate could barely stand to remain there anymore, and he considered himself very tolerant of the heat. Leaving was very much not an option, though. Removing himself from this heat would mean abandoning Sardonyx, and he couldn't do that. Not in her current condition.

Sardonyx had not improved since the twins and Celes had left. For a time, her condition had at least stabilized a bit, making Agate hopeful that he and his sisters had one less thing to worry about. Sardonyx had even been well enough to get out of bed and remove herself to the audience chamber, where she had remained on her appropriated throne, sometimes engaging in idle conversation with Agate and sometimes spacing off and staring at nothing for hours at a time.

And then Sardonyx's form had suddenly seized up. The temperature in the room spiked as she pressed a hand to her head, before she pitched forwards, leaving Agate to rush forwards and stabilize her before she could hit the ground.

"Lady Sardonyx!" No response. "Hey!" God, she felt unpleasantly hot, far past the 'human with a high fever' range and right into the 'might as well be holding hot coals' range. "Can you hear me?"

Sardonyx was breathing heavily now, sweat beading on her face. It took a moment, but finally, she looked into Agate's lightless bronze eyes with glassy, unfocused vermillion ones.

"I… I'm burning up." she whimpered, sounding uncharacteristically vulnerable. "Help…"

The moment she spoke, Sardonyx's temperature spiked further, the audience chamber growing even hotter as she suddenly jerked herself out of Agate's grasp. When he tried to go after her, she shook her head, her stare now as fearful as it was unfocused.

"You'll burn too…" she hissed. "I can't… I can't!"

"It's fine." Agate said, knowing that it full well wasn't. "Aren't I here to serve you? You made us durable – what's a few burns here and there?" He rose to his feet and extended a hand to Sardonyx. "C'mon, we need to get out of here and back to-"

Sardonyx did not seem to notice the hand Agate was offering her. She barely seemed to notice Agate at all.

"I don't understand!" she said. "I did everything correctly! So, why am I…?" Her form spasmed again, leaving her to stare down at the floor and grit her teeth in pain. "What did I do wrong? Please tell me!" A bit of sweat rolled down her nose and onto the floor. "Lady Kugelblitz…" she muttered, too quietly for Agate to hear.

Agate stared in horror at Sardonyx, all thoughts of his own pain and fear forgotten in the face of his worry for his boss… and repulsion at the shadow she was casting on the floor. The thing seemed to be looking right at him, and he wasn't sure he could write off it or the feelings of _wrongness_ it was projecting as a trick of the heat. He tried his best to put it out of his mind as he laid a comforting hand on Sardonyx's shoulder, trying to ignore how painful it was to touch her at present.

"Lady Sardonyx, we need to go."

"That's right." Sardonyx said as she pulled herself to her feet, only to sway unsteadily. Agate was forced to stabilize her - and pretend the act wasn't causing him further injury. "We'll go. We'll get rid of them all. If I destroy them, I'll deserve to get better. Right?"

"Destroy…?" Agate started, before the meaning of Sardonyx's words clicked into place in his mind. "You can't possibly mean… Lady Sardonyx, in your state-!"

Sardonyx smiled, a thoroughly unsettling sight, given how unfocused and glassy her stare was and how ill she looked. "That's fine. That's why I have you three. You'll help me. That's why you're here."

Agate opened his mouth to protest… and then immediately thought better of it. Sardonyx was right, after all. It wouldn't end well for any of them if they defied her. Just like it wouldn't end well for them if they obeyed her. No matter how they felt about it, they existed solely to serve her.

"Right, right." he said dutifully as Sardonyx summoned a circle of gold runes at the two's feet. "That's why we're here."

* * *

As Delphinus and Leo parted from their embrace, Celes screamed in fury.

"Why?!" she snapped as she advanced on the pair, giving off enough dark energy to make the two's hair stand on end. "Why did you wake up, Nerissa? How did you wake up? Was that dream not good enough for you?"

Delphinus shook her head. "Did you really think I would have been happy in a world without you, Celes?" she asked gently, even as she warily watched her sister for any false moves. "No matter how good the illusion was, there is no way I could accept a world without my little sister in it!"

Celes fired another blast of dark magic at Delphinus. Leo to expertly jumped in and deflected it with her shield. The orange Cure said nothing. She didn't have to. The half-judging, half-pitying expression on her face as she looked at Celes spoke volumes.

"I hate you! I hate both of you!" Celes prepared another blast of dark magic. "You're so… so self-righteous! It's annoying!"

That was the twins' cue to look at one another and nod. The pair leapt into the air, expertly touching down in front of Celes.

"The only annoying one is you, Celes." Tourmaline did not spare the younger princess a passing glance. "And… since your plan is ruined, there is nothing left for us to interfere with. So…" She assumed a fighting stance as she and her twin faced down Pretty Cure, who responded in kind. "Let's go, Selenite."

Selenite was not as quick to drop into a fighting stance as Tourmaline was. In fact, Delphinus noted, she seemed downright reluctant to make any kind of move against her and Leo. But finally, she nodded dutifully and followed her sister's lead.

Before the twins could strike, the temperature in the air suddenly spiked, and the wind stilled. An unsettling feeling of wrongness entered the air, sending goosebumps prickling down the Cures' necks, as every bird in the area took wing, and multiple animals went scattering. A surge of malevolent-feeling mana resonated underneath everyone's feet, leading the twins and Pretty Cure to instinctively disengage.

Images of Delphinus' last day in Illuster, of the moments right after the Rainbow Melody had been destroyed, floated unbidden into her head. "It can't be..."

"Why is she…?" Tourmaline sounded both puzzled and worried.

The temperature in the clearing climbed as a circle of shining gold runes appeared in its center. There was a burst of golden fire, and Sardonyx materialized. The leader of the Void Clan did not cut the same intimidating figure as before – her face was beaded with sweat, her stare was unfocused, and she was leaning heavily on Agate, who had accompanied her. But between the waves of malevolence she was giving off and the sheer hatred in her eyes as she stared down Pretty Cure, the duo immediately found themselves on guard.

"Celes. Tourmaline. Selenite. Stand down." Sardonyx ordered. "I will deal with these two myself."

"But Lady Sardonyx!" Celes protested. "I haven't even started! I can't let you-"

The glance Sardonyx shot Celes had the young girl scrambling to retreat without another word. That done, Sardonyx nodded towards Agate, who reluctantly let her go before he fell back alongside his sisters.

"I can't do this on my own." Sardonyx said. Although she was clearly addressing the Void Triad, her gaze was on Pretty Cure. "Not as I am now. So please, lend me your power, my Void Triad!"

Tourmaline spared no hesitation. "Understood, Lady Sardonyx!" Shee extended the hand with the crystal embedded into it towards her boss. " _My life for you_!"

Selenite and Agate were not quite as gung-ho as Tourmaline. Nevertheless, both followed their sister's lead. The Triad's crystals began to shine with dark violet energy, and their forms followed suit. Sardonyx grinned as that energy flowed towards her, collecting into her crystal. As all signs of exhaustion and weakness faded from Sardonyx, the Triad crumpled to their knees, as their power continued to be siphoned in her direction.

Delphinus stared in horror at the sight. Intellectually, she knew she should feel nothing but contempt for the Void Triad, but seeing them being used as living batteries made her heart ache for them. But before she could protest their poor treatment, Sardonyx had rounded on her.

"Oh? You're awake, Lady Nerissa?" Her tone was disarmingly casual. "And Celes worked so hard on that enchantment too." She shook her head and sighed in resignation, as if she were telling off a disobedient child. "Ah well… I guess it can't be helped. "I would have to destroy you two eventually either way." She grinned wolfishly, her cape billowing behind her as her hands erupted in golden flame. "Better sooner than later, Pretty Cure! Then… then I'll be good enough!"

Sardonyx had thrown herself at the Cured like a wild animal. Leo intercepted her attempt to strike at Delphinus, using the Tempest Saber to send a shockwave of electricity in Sardonyx's direction. Sardonyx's eyes to flashed violet and she fired a small sphere of dark energy from her hand, effortlessly dissipating Leo's attack. As Leo drew close, she nailed her with a roundhouse kick, sending her flying backwards.

As Delphinus hurried to her partner's side, Sardonyx fired a blast of fire towards the Cures. Delphinus immediately countered by summoning her Blossom Scepter and creating a large mist shield… which instantly evaporated under the heat of Sardonyx's flames. Delphinus had a split second to pull Leo away, sparing both Cures from the fate of the trees behind them, which turned gray before crumbling into piles of ash.

"What a sorry display!" Sardonyx coldly regarded Delphinus and Leo. "Are you really the ones who gave my Void Triad such trouble?"

Delphinus and Leo replied by running in opposite directions, before leaping into the air and attempting to nail Sardonyx with a blast of water from the Blossom Scepter and a leaping slash with the Tempest Saber. Sardonyx responded by nonchalantly summoning two spheres of darkness and firing both at the Cures, sending them flying in opposite directions and slamming onto the ground.

Sardonyx advanced on the pair, her eyes shining with mirth. "Oh? Is that it?" she sneered. "Such a lack of effort, considering what I did to you! Strike me down with your hatred, Pretty Cure!"

"I'm sorry, Sardonyx, but that isn't possible." Delphinus said as she painfully hauled herself to her feet. "I don't hate you."

"Delphinus…" Leo muttered, shaking her head because now was really not the time for this, as she took her place by her partner's side.

Delphinus' words seemed to temporarily take the fight out of Sardonyx. She lowered her arms as she stared in bafflement at the pink Cure. The Void Triad, who were clearly feeling the strain of Sardonyx draining their energy, seemed similarly baffled by her declaration. Celes, on the other hand, just looked a bit ill.

"I'm absolutely furious at you!" Delphinus said as she stared down Sardonyx. "You took everything from Kohaku, Siri, and I! You cruelly manipulated Celes' heart! And…" She cast a glance in the direction of the Triad. "…you would use your loyal subordinates as glorified power sources!"

"Delphinus, don't bother." Leo laid a hand on her partner's shoulder. "There's no point in reasoning with someone like her."

Delphinus was not deterred. "I want you to see penance for your actions. And Leo and I shall not stop until we have defeated you. But… I do not hate you. After all, Illuster isn't gone forever. And I refuse to believe that you invaded it out of sadism. There must have been some other reason!" She gazed into Sardonyx's eyes. There was anger and hatred there, but there was also… "You have such pain in your eyes. Did you think invading Illuster might ease that pain?"

That was… entirely the wrong thing to say. Sardonyx responded by firing a blast of fire at Pretty Cure, who immediately summoned their shields in tandem. Their combined shield proved more durable than Delphinus' shield on its own, but it was still rapidly crumbling under the heat of the flames Sardonyx kept sending in their direction.

"Are you mocking me, Delphinus?!" Sardonyx snapped. "The Kingdom of Crystals fell because of you… and you still ask _why_ I would invade your kingdom?"

"What are you even talking about?!" Leo demanded, right as she and Delphinus' combined shield dissipated, sending both Cures reeling backwards.

"Playing dumb isn't going to help you!" Sardonyx, who had called off her flames, fixed both Cures with a cold glare, her form trembling with rage. "Everyone in my kingdom lost their hearts. I had to watch helplessly as they all became empty shells, and the life drained from our land. And you… you had your precious Rainbow Melody, didn't you?! You could have helped us! You could have brought everyone back, before it was too late! But, you did nothing, and I…"

 _The sky above her was a dull shade of gray. The sun was frozen, and the air was still and silent. There were no people around her in this dull and lifeless world, just things that_ _used_ _to be people. No one was left besides her. Nothing was left besides her._

 _In the end, she was all alone. In the end, she could do nothing but mourn her losses, her cries unheard in this heartless world of silence._

 _"I couldn't save any of them… not a single one!"_

"…I was left to suffer! And now you play the fool, despite knowing your crimes full well?"

"But we didn't know!" Delphinus said. "Mother is a kind and generous woman! She was always reaching out to kingdoms in need! But she heard no reports of a Kingdom of Crystals in distress! And I can't remember such a place ever having existed!"

Sirius' ears pricked up at Delphinus' words. "That's right!" they said. "The database errors, those unreadable chapters in our history tomes… Queen Lucinda did not overlook you out of malice, Sardonyx! There must have been something that put you beneath our notice! This was all a terrible, terrible mistake!"

"It's getting harder for us to remember anything about their kingdom too, Lady Sardonyx. And nobody has come to help _them_ either." Selenite said quietly as she tried her best to lever herself up off the ground. The younger twin sounded as if she were on the edge of passing out, and her siblings hardly looked any better. "Please… I wasn't lying before! You must have noticed!"

Sardonyx looked genuinely stunned by this revelation. That was Delphinus' cue to approach her, despite Leo – and part of her own conscience – desperately telling her to stop.

"I cannot offer you forgiveness." Delphinus said. "But I can offer you sympathy. If what you are saying is true, then we owe it to you to help, Sardonyx! I promise, the Kingdom of Crystals isn't lost to you either! If we can get Illuster back with the Rainbow Melody, we can restore your homeland as well!"

The Void Triad stared at Delphinus the moment she spoke.

"She wants to help us?" Tourmaline said. "After what we did?"

"She'd seriously… man, the princess is too soft-hearted." Agate muttered.

Selenite felt her eyes water a bit. "Then… there _is_ another way." she whispered. "Thank you, Pretty Cure!"

Celes for her part, simply looked aside sharply. As if her sister could deliver on such promises! As if Sardonyx would even let her!

Sardonyx looked genuinely touched. "After everything I did, you would still offer me your help? You would really help me get the Kingdom of Crystals back?"

"That's right." Delphinus said gently. "I will do anything to help you ease your pain, Sardonyx. Anything at all."

Sardonyx looked away and shook her head, a genuinely affectionate smile playing on her lips. And tgen she grimaced in pain, and her form went rigid. When she looked back up, there was something alien looming behind her stare. Her eyes flashed violet as she stared down at Delphinus.

"Then, you may perish."

Delphinus was too stunned to react. Leo was left to fling herself at her partner, shoving her out of the way before Sardonyx could spear her with multiple skewers of darkness that rose from the ground where the pink Cure had stod seconds before.

"I told you, it wasn't worth it, Delphinus!" Leo said. "There's no reasoning with people like them!"

"R-right…" Delphinus sounded genuinely crushed. She still joined Leo in rushing to take on Sardonyx.

The two might as well have been fighting a brick wall. Sardonyx effortlessly deflected the majority of the punches and kicks that Pretty Cure sent her way with barriers of dark energy, and the ones that did connect barely seemed to faze her. Her flames, which seemed to grow more intense by the moment, were almost impossible to deal with head-on, leaving the Cures to try their best to evade them. When they did manage to that, she had a burst of dark energy or a sharply aimed punch or kick ready to counter with.

"She's tough!" Leo gritted her teeth as she and Delphinus regrouped. "As expected from the Void Clan's leader."

"Do you like it?" A malicious smile played on Sardonyx's lips, as she prepared a fireball of dark energy. "This is the gift I was so generously lent. This is the difference between you and I!" The temperature around Sardonyx spiked exponentially, and the wind kicked up violently as more and more energy was siphoned from the Triad, who were clearly feeling it, and badly. "I will not let you take it away from me! I'll prove my worth by destroying you!"

Tourmaline gasped in pain as she felt more and more of her vitality draining away. "It… it's fine." she hissed, even as her body trembled under the strain of what Sardonyx was putting her through and her vision began to blur. "I can endure anything for you, Lady Sardonyx. Anything at all!"

Selenite felt as if she was on the edge of passing out. But still, she moved to lay her hand over her sister's own, before moving to do the same with her brother, who had clearly resigned himself to suffering in silence. Even if Tourmaline insisted she was okay, she clearly wasn't. And truly, Selenite was frightened. Both for the sake of Pretty Cure, who she could do nothing to help, even if she wanted to, and for her own sake, because she was feeling her very being slowly unravel. If this went on for much longer…

"Delphinus!" Leo cast a glance at her partner as Sardonyx prepared her attack.

"Right!" Delphinus immediately took hold of Leo's hand as the two prepared their combined finisher. "Oh water, cascade and flow!" she cried.

"Oh lightning, sparkle and dance!" Leo cried. "Our radiantly roaring hearts-" she said, extending her free hand outwards as orange lightning energy flowed into her opened palm.

"-shall become the light that pierces the void!" Delphinus said, extending her own free hand outwards as pink water energy flowed into her own opened palm.

"Pretty Cure! Roaring Hurricane!" Delphinus and Leo chorused as their combined finisher fired towards Sardonyx, who promptly countered with the immense blast of dark fire she had created.

It wasn't like last time, with the twins. There was no battle of attrition between Pretty Cure and their opponent. Not on Sardonyx's end anyway. Sardonyx's dark fire, which rapidly ate through Pretty Cure Roaring Hurricane like it was nothing at all before hitting the two Cures head-on, leaving them screaming in agony as they were sent flying.

The sheer force of the assault knocked Pretty Cure right out of their transformations, leaving them in sparkling robes of pink and orange light. Nanami and Kohaku were helpless, powerless, and easy prey for Sardonyx, who advanced on them, her smile unnaturally wide.

Delphinus struggled to get up. Her body refused to obey her. "It can't end like this… Sardonyx, you can't-!"

"How dare you speak to me like that." Sardonyx sneered, even as she prepared one last fireball of darkness. "That world of silence… it may have been painful to endure back then, but now, I understand! Now I see how beautiful it is! It is the way things are meant to be! The state all worlds should exist in! And I would sooner die than let you ruin that for me!"

Sardonyx cried in fury as she charged her final blow before firing it towards the defenseless Pretty Cure. And then several things happened at once.

The Triad, clearly pushed to their limits from Sardonyx's siphoning of their powers, cried out in agony as their forms began to flicker rapidly.

Celes stared in confusion at the Triad, because for a moment, she swore that instead of three humans, she saw... before her attentions were drawn to Pretty Cure's impending demise, and an involuntary "No, don't!" escaped her mouth.

And Sirius sprang to their feet and shifted into their large dog form, as they tackled Sardonyx, causing her attack to misfire and take out a large chunk of the forest beyond Pretty Cure. As they took her down, the case slung across their shoulder shined with multicolored light.

Sardonyx screamed in agony as the power she had borrowed from the Triad left her form and flowed back towards the siblings. The siblings' forms immediately stabilized, but they were clearly too drained from their ordeal to do much. Even if they had been, their attention was immediately taken up by Sardonyx, who had returned to her weakened state.

Tourmaline cried as she hurried to her leader's side as quickly as she could in her weakened state. "Lady Sardonyx!"

Sardonyx stared at the siblings, her mouth working silently for a moment before she slipped into unconsciousness.

"We can't stay here." Agate told Tourmaline, who was clearly on the edge of panicking. "Not in our state. And not with Lady Sardonyx like this."

"R-right." Tourmaline said numbly, before casting a glance at Selenite and Celes, neither of whom seemed willing to make themselves move. "Let's go already!" she snapped. "She can't wait for you two!"

Selenite moved to join her older siblings and Sardonyx… but not before casting a concerned glance in the visibly-exhausted Nanami and Kohaku's direction. It shouldn't have been like this. But had no choice but to obey Sardonyx... right?

"Pretty Cure…" Selenite said quietly as she passed them by, her gaze lingering on Nanami for a few moments. "Please don't die."

Celes took one last moment to shoot a glare at Nanami and Kohaku. For a moment, she looked like she wanted to say something… but then she shook her head and joined the Triad.

The Void Clan vanished in a burst of light. Moments later, Nanami and Kohaku fully reverted to their civilian forms as the damage inflicted by their fight reversed itself.

"Lady Nerissa! Amber!" Sirius cried as they scrambled to the Cures' side. "Are you alright?"

"Yes…" said Nanami as she pulled herself to her feet... before exhaustion sent her crashing to the ground. "No." She sobbed quietly. "Siri, Amber… I'm so sorry. If I wasn't such a fool…"

"We're alive, Nerissa." Kohaku said as she struggled to get up herself. "We can learn from our mistakes and try again. We'll take them down someday."

"Right." Nanami echoed hollowly. "Someday."

Leaving the forest on their own was not an option. But that was where Sirius came in handy. In no time at all, they had the two exhausted Cures on their back, and they were escorting the pair out of the forest. They couldn't go further than the forest in this form, lest they end up causing a stir… but they would try to stay optimistic for now. Once they left the forest, it wasn't too far until the train station, and from there, it wasn't too long of a journey until Shooting Star. The three of them would endure. It was how they got this far. Enduring.

"Thank goodness for the Orgel." Siri said as they continued onwards out of the forest. "If it hadn't come forwards for you when it did, I don't know where we'd be."

"The Rainbow Melody was a creation of Pretty Cure to begin with." Nanami said quietly. "So I suppose it makes sense for it to come through for us like that." She was silent for a few moments more as Sirius continued onwards before she added "I don't care what Sardonyx says. I will to fight to save the Kingdom of Crystals as well. I can't leave it alone, knowing what I know now."

"You really need to be more careful about who you sympathize with, Nanami." Kohaku sighed. "But… it would be wrong to leave this alone, if she was telling the truth. Just… please be more careful from now on."

"I shall try." Nanami said. That was the only thing she could do, wasn't it? "But… no matter what, I will not give up on them. Or us. That I can promise."

* * *

Celes had been left alone to wander the Citadel. Sardonyx had been hurried off to her bedchamber by the Triad, who had functionally kicked her out.

Celes still had Vulpecula, but that was cold comfort at present. She loved Vulpecula dearly, but a doll was a doll was a doll. She couldn't hug her back and tell her everything would be okay. She couldn't dry her tears. She couldn't tell her she loved Celes as much as Celes loved her.

Not like Nerissa had.

Celes stared down at the ground, her eyes tearing up as her mind traveled back to the days before Illuster had been overtaken, the days before she was trapped in the cold and silent prison she had once called home.

 _"I can't use the Orgel!" Celes protested as she stood in the Temple of the Stars. "Even Mother has a hard time controlling its power." She hugged Vulpecula close to her chest. "I don't wanna think about what could happen to if I tried. So much depends on the Rainbow Melody."_

 _"But…" a voice protested as a vague form materialized in front of Celes. It appeared to belong to a young girl around her age. Shs sounded as if she were in a tremendous amount of pain. "Didn't you say you were a powerful mage, Celes? Don't you think you could control the power of the Rainbow Melody if you tried?" Her already hazy form flickered a bit as she cringed in pain. "Please try! I don't know how much longer I have left!"_

 _Celes' eyes widened in panic. "Altair would know something, or maybe Sirius, or… or…" She ran a panicked hand through her hair. "I'll find Mother! She control the Rainbow Melody, so-!"_

 _"You can't!" the figure protested. She did not have a face, but Celes imagined if she did, she would have looked nothing short of desperate. "This has to stay between you and me. This is something only you can do!"_

 _"Something only I can do." Celes replied dutifully. "But… I don't know if I can. Not now. Not until I've tried everything else." She looked at the figure, concern written on her face. "Please hold on, Nyx! I'll keep looking! And if there's no other answer, then I'll do it! I won't just let you disappear." She grinned. "As Nerissa says, for your sake, I will not give up!"_

But Celes hadn't found any other ways of saving her new friend. So she had snuck off and opened the Orgel, only to quickly find herself overwhelmed by the power of the Rainbow Melody, leaving it to go wild and then vanish completely despite her desperate attempts to take it back.

It was too late for her. And it must have been too late for her friend as well, assuming she had ever existed. Assuming she wasn't just an illusion made to trick a stupid little girl like herself into dooming her entire kingdom.

If Celes hadn't been so stupid, Illuster would still be thriving. And Nerissa knew that. And yet, her sister still looked at her with love in her eyes. It hurt terribly. Because Celes knew she couldn't redeem herself. She didn't deserve to. And something told her she wouldn't be allowed to if she tried.

"Stupid Nerissa…" Celes muttered as a tear trickled down her cheek. "It'd be so much easier if you hated me. So much easier."


	13. Episode Thirteen

**Episode Thirteen** : Aim For the Top! Fly High, Irene!

* * *

The moon was full that night, hanging clear and large in the night sky of Illuster like a precious jewel. Even if it was as cold and lifeless as everything else in this kingdom, Selenite always found its presence to be a comfort. No matter how cold and inhospitable this land became, no matter how dismal her circumstances were, it always would be.

Selenite was holding her stuffed rabbit close to her chest as she sat on a hillside near the castle, her lightless silver eyes reflecting the frozen moon. She felt a bit ridiculous, keeping an object that had already served its purpose around, but having something to cuddle and hug had been helping her mental state quite a bit as of late, considering what the Void Clan and Pretty Cure had been put through a few days ago.

Tourmaline had been adamant that she did not begrudge Sardonyx for putting her and her siblings' existences in jeopardy. Agate had simply thrown his hands up and muttered something about it being their lot in life. But Selenite was deeply hurt and badly frightened by the whole affair even days later.

Even now, Selenite felt terribly drained and hollow. She could tell that her siblings were similarly poorly off, even if Tourmaline would lie through her teeth about it, and Agate would refuse to speak of it when he was conscious. And worse, there were moments when she didn't feel like her body belonged to her anymore. As if she was a hollow shell formed around some other existence.

 _"I brought you three back because I valued you more than anyone else in the Kingdom of Crystals. Please repay me in kind."_

That was what Sardonyx had told them. That was what Selenite had believed wholeheartedly for a long time. But had she really? And had there ever been a Time Before? She didn't want to know. Thinking about it too hard made her feel sick.

She and Tourmaline had barely spoken to one another the past few days. Her sister was now spending hours on end sitting by the door of Sardonyx's bedchamber and begging their leader, who had not emerged for days, for the tiniest scrap of attention. Selenite had been left to her own devices. She hated it. Being ignored by her sister just made her loneliness and misery feel even worse.

Selenite had barely been anything beyond physically present at the last few library committee meetings, nor had she made much of an attempt to reach out to Nanami. She could barely make eye contact with the girl, not after everything she had helped put her through. She could not find it in herself to accept her classmates' requests for tutoring or invitations to sports matches either. She did not deserve any of it. Not after passively Nanami like she had.

Were it up to her, Selenite mused as she snuggled the plush closer, she would have taken Nanami up on her offer, deserving or not. Or better yet, she would have done something herself. She was tired of living in this cold and silent "ideal" world, tired of hurting people, be they Pretty Cure or her designated targets, and tired of pretending she was okay with carrying out Sardonyx's misguided revenge. And she was tired of feeling like she existed only for such cruel purposes.

"I want to be better." Selenite whispered to the moon, as if it had the power to grant her desires. "I wish I could be better."

Moments after Selenite had spoken, the rabbit plush suddenly grew warm in her hands. The younger twin's eyes widened the moment she looked down. There was an ethereal white light shining through the stitching on the rabbit's back. The feeling of this light was familiar, somehow. Almost like the power that those two...

"It can't be…!"

* * *

Tourmaline was right where Selenite had expected her to be – parked outside of Sardonyx's bedchamber. Her eyes were hollow and her expression was blank as she leaned against the door. Sardonyx had not emerged from her bedchamber in the past few days, nor had she allowed anyone who was not Celes to enter. To say Tourmaline had taken that poorly would be a severe understatement.

"Please, tell me, Lady Sardonyx!" Tourmaline sounded broken and plaintive. "What does that child have that I lack?"

No response.

"Have I not worked hard enough, Lady Sardonyx? Am I not good enough?"

Silence.

"Lady Sardonyx, I shall produce results with the child soon!" Selenite was fast finding this painful to watch. "I will offer you that and more! So please, look at me!"

It didn't matter how loudly or how long she begged. Tourmaline was not going to get any kind of answer. Once that finally sunk in, she slid to the ground and buried her face in her hands. It took some time before she finally registered Selenite's presence.

"It must be something important." Her eyes were deader than normal as she looked up at her sister. "You wouldn't be here otherwise."

Selenite swallowed back her hurt at Tourmaline's comment and wordlessly produced her prize - a white medallion with the likeness of a rabbit. Tourmaline's mood instantly turned around. One moment, the older twin was still sulking on the floor, the next, she was approaching Selenite and eyeing her sister's prize with hungry eyes.

"I can't believe it… you actually took one for yourself." Tourmaline reached out to take the Lunar Medallion… and recoiled in pain the moment her fingers brushed against it, as if she had touched molten metal. "How can you stand to touch this?!"

Selenite blinked in confusion at her sister's reaction. "It doesn't hurt when I hold it? Just stings a bit, really…"

Tourmaline looked a bit put out, but only for a moment. "I see. If the Medallions are in our hands, Pretty Cure will never fully assemble. And we know now that Delphinus and Leo are no match for Lady Sardonyx." She grinned approvingly at Selenite. For once, her twin did not find it reassuring. "So, that's what you were doing all this time. Good job."

"Thanks…" said Selenite, who could not bring herself to explain the truth of the matter.

"Do you hear that, Lady Sardonyx? We have acquired one of the Medallions! Soon, both will be ours!" Still no response. That wasn't deterring Tourmaline. Not anymore. "We shall permanently impede your enemies soon enough! And I shall extract a most generous offering of negative energy from the girl posthaste! My life for you, Lady Sardonyx! My life for you!" She turned to Selenite, her eyes shining. "Let's go! We have all night to search!"

Selenite looked terriibly pensive as the twins took off together. Finally, she spoke.

"That girl…" she said quietly. "She has an older sister who loves her. If we create a strong Utsuroid out of her and Pretty Cure cannot purify her in time, she will never return. If someone took me away from you…"

"It doesn't matter." Tourmaline replied coolly. "Do you really think I care about that girl? All that matters is the results."

"Of course, Tourmaline."

Selenite didn't agree at all. But she was in no mood to argue. And Tourmaline was in no mood to defend herself. Instead, the twins departed together in silence.

Neither twin was aware that Sardonyx had overheard the better part of their conversation from her spot on the other side of the bedchamber door. There, the leader of the Void Clan sat huddled miserably, her shadow, which most definitely no longer resembled her in the slightest, looming imposingly over her like a warped parody of a guardian angel.

* * *

One of the inconvenient things about being a – mostly – incognito magical warrior was thus: after enduring a fight that pushed your body to its limits and could have easily led to your death, had things been just a bit different, you had to go back to your regular lives and pretend like nothing had happened the very next day.

Nanami and Kohaku had done just that after their close call with Sardonyx. They did not tell Tsubasa why they had collapsed together into Nanami's bed after returning home, and although neither Cure was convinced that she had bought their assurances, she had yet to press the issue with them. They went back to school the next day and smiled through the lingering pain of their injuries and pushed themselves through the lingering fatigue of their fight.

The two had been unable to sleep alone since their fight with Sardonyx. And both had been plagued with constant nightmares. But as both Cures constantly told themselves and each other, those would pass, just as their pain and fatigue had rapidly faded into nothing after a few days. Eventually, they would come back stronger than before.

There were an unusual number of crows milling about this morning, Nanami noted as she and Kohaku headed to Sorairo Academy. They seemed far less interested in the humans around them and far more interested in carrying off every small, shiny, and vaguely circular object that entered their field of vision. The sight was clearly bothering Kohaku, and by the time the two witnessed a girl at Sorairo's vending machines mugged for one of her yen coins by a crow, the taller girl was clearly tired of it.

"Get out of here! Shoo!" Kohaku lunged towards the crow, which gave a panicked caw and took wing. Once the girl, who looked a bit weirded out but nevertheless grateful, retrieved her drink, and went on her way, Kohaku sighed quietly. "It was like that before, when Tourmaline was trying to get the Orgel. Could the Void Triad be active again?"

"Maybe…" Nanami stared up at a nearby tree. There were multiple crows regarding her with beady eyes. "I wonder if those three are doing alright."

Kohaku frowned pensively. "Nanami… I don't know if you've noticed, but the twins have seemed really worn out lately. And their brother hasn't turned up at Shooting Star in a while. Tsubasa pointed that out to me the other day."

"I have noticed that. Tsukiko seems to have been avoiding me too." Nanami said. "We really don't know a lot about those two, do we?"

"No." Kohaku agreed. "We really don't." She paused uncomfortably as the pair idled beneath one of the trees near the front gate. "Yuu and Tsukiko won't give out their contact information to anyone, and nobody in our class is sure where they live. They seem to fall off the face of the earth whenever it suits them."

Nanami nodded thoughtfully. "It definitely does seem that way." she said. "But… even so, the twins are…"

"What about us?"

Nanami and Kohaku wheeled around to find the twins, true to form, standing right behind the pair, their forms shaded by the shadow of the trees, making them cut a sharp contrast to the Cures, who stood in the sunlight.

"Oh, Yuu, Tsukiko! Hello!" Nanami was instantly upbeat and friendly. "Kohaku and I were just talking about how worried we were about you."

Yuu did a double take at that one. " _Worried_?"

Tsukiko inclined her head to the side. "Oh? What makes you worried about us, Nagisa-san?"

"You two have seemed really drained lately." Nanami said. "Pardon me for meddling, but I cannot overlook it when my friends are not feeling well."

"Friends…" Yuu echoed hollowly, before forcing a thin smile. "You two have been looking pretty worn out yourselves."

"Guess we both have a lot on our minds." Kohaku said. She tried not to betray how unsettled she was by the piercing stare Yuu sent her way in response.

"Maybe we could hang out together at Shooting Star after school?" Nanami suggested. "The pavilion outside is quite lovely, and sunlight does wonders for one's mood." Those two _did_ look worrisomely pale. It likely wasn't just a lack of sun. "That, and I think it would be a great social opportunity! I really do want to get to know the two of you better."

"I… I see." said Yuu, who looked just a bit discomfited by Nanami's words. "I'll consider it, Nagisa-san." She nodded to her sister and took off towards the classroom building.

Tsukiko hesitated before offering Nanami a strained smile. "Take care, Nagisa-san."

Kohaku watched the twins intently until the pair had disappeared from view. "I don't trust them." she said. "But… if they _are_ our enemies, you'd still offer them mercy, right?"

Nanami nodded. "I have had that possibility in the back of my mind since we first met. And if it is true, then yes, I will offer them mercy. Those three might do bad things, but they are not irredeemable – and perhaps if we can understand each other's hearts, we won't have to fight anymore."

"That's my Nanami." Kohaku sounded both affectionate and resigned. As the two Cures entered Sorairo's classroom building and headed to their shoe lockers, she added "Look… there's no stopping you. I know that. But _please_ -"

"Don't worry, Kohaku." Nanami said. "I promise, it will not be like last time. I wouldn't want to cause you any more worry, after everything I put you through back there."

Nanami's tone grew melancholic on that last bit. That was Kohaku's cue to head to her partner's side and give her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"It's not your fault." she said quietly. "It's theirs, for taking advantage of your feelings. I could never blame you."

And worse, Kohaku mused, the Void Clan could easily take advantage of Nanami's compassionate heart again. That was why she needed to remain vigilant. Her partner could try to parley with those three all she wanted and believe in their inner goodness all she wished, but Kohaku was certain they would try to hurt her for it. And when they did, she would be ready to take them down. She would never let anyone else use Nanami's kindness against her. Not if she could help it.

* * *

Inviting the twins out for coffee had not seemed to clear the air between them and Pretty Cure. If anything, things had only grown more awkward for the group since the sisters had agreed to the invitation. Tsukiko had been shying away from Nanami and Kohaku during the entirety of the group's trek to Shooting Star, and Yuu, who looked like she had somewhere she needed to be, barely spoke to the Cures unless spoken to.

Once the group had actually ordered their iced coffees, Tsubasa had stared at the twins for just a bit too long. She had played it off by claiming she was concerned about their brother, who had not shown up or filled out any of his job applications, but they still had their guard up around her.

Nanami had jumped in to run damage control by immediately escorting the group to the outside pavilion once their coffee orders had been placed. Getting the twins away from Tsubasa did not help. There was still a pall of awkwardness hanging over the four girls, and the increased number of crows hanging around the area did not help matters at all.

"I've never seen the crows gathering about like this." said Kohaku, who was also not helping, between sips of her iced coffee. "A few of my classmates were also attacked by them recently. I wonder what's making them so aggressive?"

"Maybe they're migrating?" Tsukiko suggested.

Kohaku stared quizzically at Tsukiko. "Tsukiko, I don't think crows migrate. Or that… any bird does that this time of year."

Yuu narrowed her eyes at Kohaku. "I didn't know you were a bird expert, Kohaku Shishioh." she deadpanned. She glanced towards the crows, who seemed to be watching her for cues on what to do next. " _Anyway_ , crows decorate their nests with shiny objects to attract mates. It's probably just that."

"The crows are mating. In summer." Kohaku could not sound less convinced of Yuu's theory if she tried. "Thanks for your insight, Yuu Hoshikawa."

"You said it yourself." Yuu fired back, the corner of her visible eye twitching slightly. "I'm the one who has a way with animals. So obviously, I'm right."

"I don't care how great you are with animals – you can't just say you're right and have it be so, Yuu." Kohaku retorted. "Even I know that mating season is _clearly_ in spring."

Tsukiko had been avoiding eye contact with Nanami and Kohaku the entire time, but once her sister and Kohaku began what she was certain was going to turn into heated argument between the two, she found herself casting worried glances at Nanami… who thankfully picked up on her nervousness immediately.

"Anyway!" Nanami interjected, trying to dispel the maelstrom brewing between Kohaku and Yuu before it could grow larger, "What are your plans for vacation, Yuu, Tsukiko?"

Yuu abandoned her brewing argument with Kohaku – but not without mouthing one last 'it's _clearly_ a mating display' to the other girl – in favor of glancing over at Tsukiko, clearly expecting her twin to feed the Cures an answer she had not prepared herself.

"Oh, summer break? That's…" Tsukiko, who clearly hadn't prepared an answer either, nervously bit her lip. "We don't really have any plans yet. Sorry."

"We aren't the type to do anything big." Yuu said after a long sip from her iced coffee. "So, we're not going on a vacation or anything, if that's what you mean."

"Maybe we could plan something to do together?" Nanami suggested. "I will have to run it by her first, but the other day, Yuzuki mentioned that-"

Tsukiko might have been listening to Nanami, but Yuu certainly was not. The older twin's attention had been diverted by Irene, who was fearfully hesitating a few yards away from the outdoor tables, as if the floor before her was made of lava. That lasted until she registered that Yuu was present at the table, took a deep breath, and strolled up to said table with a look of purpose on her face. She was still trembling a bit and clearly struggling to make eye contact, but she still looked rather proud of herself.

Yuu internally rejoiced at how very convenient this turn of events was. "Irene? What are you doing here?"

Irene wasted no time in getting out her notepad and jotting down an answer.

'I needed you for something, but I don't have your phone number. So, I asked Auntie where your friends lived. There's something I need your help with.' She glanced towards Kohaku before writing some more. 'You're an athlete, so you can help me too, right?'

"I… I think?" Kohaku said. "That I can help you, I mean. It depends on what it is."

"We _definitely_ know you're a star athlete." Yuu snarked. Kohaku pointedly ignored her. "But right – what is it you need help with?"

Irene quickly jotted something down on her notepad before dropping into a bow and offering said notepad to the group, giving them a clear view of its message.

'Please train me!'

* * *

Once Irene was situated at the table with a peach iced tea, she elaborated on her request.

'My school is having a sports festival soon' she wrote. 'I hate them. My mom was a famous track athlete when she was a student, and Robin got all of her athlete genes. But I'm hopeless with that stuff. Aimi Akagi and her friends make fun of me for it.'

"Oh my…" Nanami said quietly. "Kohaku and I have had a few unpleasant run-ins with an Aiko Akagi. Might they be related?"

'That's right – Aiko's her sister.' Irene was slightly flushed, and her hand trembled a bit as she wrote. 'Their mom used to be some kind of big shot athlete too. So, Akagi-san says it's doubly pathetic that I suck at sports.' She paused to gather her composure before continuing. 'I was gonna sit out the sports festival this year, but.' Irene shot a grin in Yuu's direction 'this year, I met a really cool older girl. And that girl knows a cool star athlete. You guys can train me, and I can show her up!'

Kohaku balked visibly at Irene's proposition. "You want me to train you, so you can beat Akagi-san's sister?"

"What's wrong with that?" Yuu asked. "If someone hurts you, why not try and get revenge? It's only fair."

Kohaku refused to answer Yuu. "It's not that I don't get that." she told Irene. "Or that I don't want to help. But I don't know if I should be _anyone's_ coach."

"That's fine." Yuu said. If Kohaku was going to remove herself as an obstacle, she certainly wouldn't protest. "I can handle it on my own."

"N-no, it's not that!" Kohaku said. "I want to help! I'm just afraid that…" She trailed off into silence, but Nanami knew the next part of the sentence – " _I'm afraid I would act like my mother."_

Nanami laid a gentle hand over Kohaku's own before glancing towards Irene. "May I come along as well?" she asked. "Kohaku might find it easier if I act as moral support. Besides, I think training together would be really good for all of us."

'Sure?' Irene wrote. 'Tsukiko can come along too, since she's Yuu's sister. I'd feel better having a lot of people around anyway. Akagi-san goes to the park to train sometimes.'

"Yeah… I think it would be best if I came along." Tsukiko said. She didn't feel comfortable leaving Yuu alone with Irene. She dared not verbalize that. "If that's alright with you, Nagisa-san."

"I don't see why it wouldn't be." Nanami said. "A training camp with everyone sounds like it would be a ton of fun! We can help Irene, we can all improve ourselves, _and_ we can get the chance to know one another better. What is there to object to?"

Tsukiko forced a nervous smile. "It sounds really fun, when you put it like that."

Yuu was in no mood to even attempt to smile. Pretty Cure and her sister tacking themselves onto what could have, in an ideal world, been an excellent chance to ingratiate herself to Irene one on one just worsened the headache she already had. Still, she told herself, it was not as if those two could undo her progress with Irene. Even if the crows had yet to step up their game, she was producing wonderful results on that front.

Might as well make the best of a bad situation, she told herself. _And_ try to seem interested in helping Irene, because she really had no investment in this sports festival business. At all. That would entail _caring_ about her little sacrifice, and that was ridiculous. Did a hawk have compassion for the mouse it was about to predate on?

"Well, I guess it's settled." She offered Irene a thin but genuine-seeming smile. "When should we start?"

* * *

Kohaku had spent that evening as a bundle of nerves. Once the sisters had departed with Irene in tow, she had immediately set to picking Tsubasa's brain about what training for a sports festival might entail and what the five of them might need to have on hand when training. But after she had drawn up a game plan and bought what she felt the group would need, her composure began to crumble.

"Part of me wants to back out while I still can." she told Nanami as the pair headed home from shopping. "I want to help, but I don't know what being a good coach looks like. The only model I have for that is _her_."

"I would imagine it would be like having a good tutor?" Nanami replied. "Altair was always quick to point out my mistakes. But they also pointed out when I did something well and how I could improve on my failings. They expected a great deal of me, but they were not unreasonable."

"So, the opposite of Mother." Kohaku tried to ignore the shiver that ran down her back as the many crows in the area stared at and Nanami. 'Mating season' her _foot_. "I guess I can try that approach." She smiled warmly at Nanami. "It'll be easier with you at my side. When you're with me, I feel much more confident."

"As do I." Nanami said. "It's half of why I can go on after everything." She glanced up nervously at the crows. "At our current power level, we cannot face down Lady Sardonyx. And even if we do power up, two Cures might not be enough. If they know that, then…"

Kohaku nodded uncomfortably. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking. If I'm right about the crows, they _really_ don't want us to find the other two Medallions. And if _they_ find them…" She shook her head. "No… I doubt they could even touch them anyway. They're the same as the Orgel, aren't they?"

"I would like to believe they would be." Nanami agreed. "We still need to locate them posthaste. And in the meantime, we should focus on what we can do. If we work hard and improve our bond, maybe we can unlock a greater power. It worked that way before."

"That'd be nice." Kohaku replied. "Maybe we could work on that during our training camp?"

Nanami grinned and nodded. "Of course!" She cast one last glance at the bags the pair were carrying. "If that's everything we need, we'd best head home and finish preparing." She grinned extending a hand to her partner. "Let's go, Kohaku!"

It didn't matter how often Kohaku heard that, she mused as she accepted Nanami's hand. Her heart soared every time.

"Okay, Nanami!"

And the two were off, both trying their best to look hopefully towards the future – and ignore the foreboding presence of the multiple crows in the area.

* * *

The five girls convened in Seizato's local park the next day. The twins escorted Irene, and Nanami and Kohaku arrived just a bit afterwards. All five were clearly ready to settle in for a day of training, between the tracksuits they wore and the resources that Kohaku had provided – some water bottles, a few towels, some jump ropes, a handful of small training weights, and five individually-packed bags of homemade post-training snacks. The taller girl also had a stopwatch, which she kept nervously clicking the button of.

"I think that should be everything." Kohaku cast a glance at the supplies she had assembled, and then towards the other girls, nervously clicking her stopwatch all the while. Irene looked genuinely ready to go, as did Nanami. The twins just looked a bit out of place. "Now… now, for starters, we should…"

Kohaku trailed off into nothing and froze up, apparently already felled by stage fright. The way Yuu was staring at her was not helping. That was Nanami's cue to step in.

"We should start out with some warm up exercises, should we not?" she suggested.

Kohaku relaxed considerably. "That's right. Like any great tool, your body needs to be oiled up to work correctly." Quoting her mother's words had a surge of bile rising in her stomach… but then, a stopped clock was right twice a day, she supposed. "So, everyone… watch and follow my lead! And... make sure to do it at your own pace."

Kohaku led the group through warm up stretches – twisting lunges, leg swings, leg crossovers, then push-ups, followed by jump squats. Nanami was a bit unsteady in her movements, with the jump squats giving her particular trouble. The twins, on the other hand, executed each maneuver perfectly. The near-mechanical precision of their movements was almost disconcerting. And Irene…

…Irene was not clumsy or weak at all. Once she got the hang of each exercise, she proved to be quite adept with them. In fact, Kohaku had to delay the jump squat phase of the exercise a bit because Irene had been insistent on figuring out how many push-ups she could do, long after Nanami and the twins had executed the bare minimum, and once they did get to the jump squats, she was insistent on doing the maximum number of those too.

Yuu stared fixedly at Irene once the young girl was finished warming up. "You really aren't weak. Or clumsy. I hope you know that." Her tone was as flat as usual, but there was a note of sincerity there.

Irene blinked in surprise at that one. The young girl didn't have her notepad. She didn't need it – the 'I'm not?' was plainly visible on her face.

"Yuu's right – you really aren't!" Kohaku said. "You picked up on the exercises really quickly. I'm a little worried about you overextending yourself, but you're not bad."

"Yeah… I don't think a weak girl could do that many push-ups. You did far more than us." said Tsukiko, as if she and her sister had not deliberately done the bare minimum. "Maybe the Akagi girl calls you weak because she's jealous?"

Irene motioned for her notepad, which was lying with the other exercise supplies. Once Nanami brought it to her, she began to write.

'It's different when it comes to competitive things. Something in me breaks when I compete with people. That's why I hate sports. And that's why I'm weak.'

"Are you sure it's that?" Kohaku asked. "I'd have to see you competing with someone to get an idea of how to help, but…"

"Oh, if you want to see her getting beaten, I'm sure Aimi can oblige."

Aiko Akagi was standing a few yards away. A younger redheaded girl, who closely resembled her, stood by her side. Both of them appeared to have been busy training themselves, and both were looking at the girls assembled in front of them with the sort of expressions one would reserve for gazing at an overfull trashbin.

"Good afternoon, Akagi-san." Nanami said. Her tone was polite, but there was a great deal of tension boiling behind her words.

"There's no need to be fake with me." Aiko snapped. She cast her eyes over the group, starting from Nanami, then to Kohaku, who had planted herself next to Nanami, then to the twins who had formed a defensive barricade in front of Irene, and then finally to Irene herself, who had grabbed one of the jump ropes and had busied herself with that in a clear bid to distract herself. "God, you all look like such losers."

"Look at you jumping rope!" Aimi called mockingly towards Irene. "How impressive, Asahina-san!"

Yuu's eyes flitted towards Irene. "Don't listen to her."

'I'm used to it.' Irene mouthed, all without so much as stumbling.

Aimi clearly did not appreciate being ignored. "Hey!" She beelined towards Irene, only for the twins to get in her way and fix her with blank stares. It wasn't enough to deter her. "Do you really think having these weirdos tutoring you will help, Asahina?" No response. She narrowed her eyes. "Quit hiding behind these creeps and listen to me!"

This was enough for Kohaku, who threw up her hands and rounded on both Akagi sisters. "Enough already!" she snapped. "Does this make you feel big, Akagi-san?" she asked Aiko. "Stopping to bully a child?"

"I'm not bullying anyone." Aiko sniffed. "I'm just helping Aimi scope out her competition." She tossed her hair disdainfully. "No self-respecting Akagi would ever content themselves with second place, Shishioh-san. An Akagi must always aim for the top - and I will not forgive anyone who gets in our way. And that includes the Asahina girl."

Yuu stared blankly at Aiko. "That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Aiko gaped visibly at that one. It just gave Yuu more volition. "You don't sound impressive. You sound like a coward who fears any threats to her reputation." She smirked. "Which must mean neither of you is that strong."

Aiko looked ready to lose it. Aimi, who was fast growing frustrated by Irene's refusal to acknowledge her, hardly looked any better.

"Are you mocking me, you creepy little freak?" Aiko snapped. Yuu nodded. She flushed red and started towards the older twin, tightening her fists. "I swear to god, if you don't stop running your creepy little _mouth_ -"

"You're not going to do anything." Nanami took her place by the twins. "If you have nothing constructive to add, then please leave my friends alone."

Irene suddenly tossed her jump rope to the ground before retrieving her notepad and moving in front of the twins.

'Akagi-san, you're here to race me, right?' she wrote. 'If I do that, you and your sister will stop bothering us, right?'

Aimi rolled her eyes. " _Again_ with the notepad, Asahina-san? Can't you just talk like a normal person?" Irene winced at that. It gave Aimi more volition. "Oh, whatever. You're just here to get trounced anyway." She indicated a tree about a yard away. "We'll start here, loop around the lake, and come back. Hope you're ready to lose!."

Yuu laid a hand on Irene's shoulder. "You don't have to bother with her." she said quietly. "We can go train somewhere else if you want."

Irene firmly shook her head before handing Yuu her notepad, striding past the older girls, none of whom looked at all comfortable with what was about to happen, and joining Aimi at the starting point. From there, both girls prepared to take off.

"Okay!" said Aiko, who was clearly relishing this far more than anyone else here was. "On your mark… get set… go!"

Irene and Aimi hit the ground running. At first, Irene was off to an excellent start, easily gaining a solid lead over Aimi. But there were already signs of trouble - Irene kept looking over at Aimi as the other girl gained ground on her. Once Aimi drew too close, Irene pushed herself to keep a solid lead ahead of her competition. She quickly ran out of gas, allowing Aimi to tear past her. Aimi arrived at the designated finish line with stamina to spare. Irene arrived visibly exhausted, with a terrible running cramp.

"Well, that's that." Aimi sniffed at Irene, who was too worn out to do anything in retaliation. "Once a loser, always a loser." She looked over at Aiko, who could not look prouder of her sister. "Let's go, Sis. I earned a treat for this, right?"

"Oh, but of course." Aiko said. As she swept past Yuu, she shot a glare in her direction. "'You're just a coward who's just threatened by how _great_ Asahina-san is'." she sneered in a high-pitched, mocking tone before she took off, laughing to herself.

For a moment, Yuu seemed ready to chase after Aiko and Aimi. And then Kohaku led Irene to a nearby bench to recover, and Yuu got a good look at how much pain the young girl was in. Something inside of her churned harshly at the sight. She did not know what this feeling was, or why it compelled her to forget any ire she held towards Aiko and hurry to grab a water bottle for Irene. She was not sure that she liked this feeling either.

"Here, Irene." Yuu offered the younger girl a water bottle. As Irene accepted it, Yuu looked quizzically at Kohaku. "She needs water, right?" Nanami and Kohaku were shooting her strange looks. She didn't care. Not like she could be bothered to remember how humans worked. "Then she'll feel better, won't she?"

"Yeah – after exerting yourself this heavily, you need fluids." Kohaku said. "That and – hey, Tsukiko, could you grab a towel for me?"

Tsukiko jumped a bit at being addressed before gathering herself, nodding, retrieving one of the towels in question, and gently draping it over Irene's shoulders at Kohaku's direction.

Irene remained on the bench for quite some time, recovering slowly from her ordeal under the watchful eye of her four older compatriots. And then something snapped within her. Without warning, she sprang to her feet and threw her towel aside before tossing her water bottle on the ground. She proceeding to stomp on said water bottle, sending water spewing out of it and soaking into the earth.

"Irene, what are you-?" Kohaku started.

For once, Irene looked genuinely frustrated by her inability to speak in front of strangers. Her form was trembling all over, her face was red with anger, and hot tears were pouring from her eyes. She stomped on the water bottle a few more times for good measure and let out a scream of frustration before frantically motioning for her notepad. Once Nanami retrieved it for her, she tearfully slashed words onto the page.

'Akagi-san is right! I'm nothing compared to naturally good people like her! Or Shishioh-san! Or Yuu! What's the point of trying?!'

Neither of the twins seemed entirely sure how to react to this. Kohaku was clearly fearful of saying the wrong thing and making Irene's already fragile emotional state even worse. That was Nanami's cue to step in.

"Irene, we don't have to keep doing this if you don't want to." Nanami said gently. "Would you like to call it a day? Nobody here wants to force you if you're not feeling well."

Irene needed a few moments to gather her composure, but finally, she nodded. 'Let's just quit.' she wrote. 'I'm not going to get any better. And I don't want you guys to waste your time on a loser. I'm not worth it.' She looked over at Yuu. 'Please take me home.'

"If you're sure you can walk that far?" Yuu said, internally puzzling over how… strange she felt all the while.

Once Irene confirmed she was fine, she and Yuu took off together, leaving the rest of the group to watch them depart.

Tsukiko's shoulders slouched as she stared after her twin sister and her… side project. "Well, that went terribly."

"It really did." Kohaku grimaced uncomfortably as she looked at the remains of Irene's water bottle. "I couldn't do much to help her in the end. No thanks to those two."

"That doesn't mean you have to give up right here!" Nanami said. "It looked like you had an idea of what Irene's weaknesses might be, Kohaku. Maybe you can give her some advice once she's feeling better? It might help if she knows what she has to improve on."

"I'll try." Kohaku said. "I wouldn't want Irene to give up on herself." She glanced towards Tsukiko, who was helping herself to the post-training snacks. "Hey, Tsukiko? Could you do me a favor?"

Tsukiko looked genuinely taken aback at Kohaku asking her for anything, but nevertheless she nodded, listening attentively as Kohaku explained her plans.

"Yeah… I think Yuu will agree to that." Tsukiko said. "She wants help Irene as much as you two do." Just not for reasons that Pretty Cure would like. Or that she liked, traitorous as that was. As she finished off her snack, she added "I should get going too. See you later." She moved to leave before pausing in her tracks. "And Nagisa-san? I'm sorry."

Nanami looked at Tsukiko in confusion. "Whatever for?"

"Lots of things." Tsukiko replied. Before either Cure could ask her to elaborate, she had already taken off.

* * *

Yuu did not feel particularly inclined to go along with _anything_ that Kohaku wanted. But as Tsukiko had pointed out, she needed to do anything she could to improve her standing with Irene, even if that meant working with her enemies. The young girl's emotional state was more vulnerable than ever, giving her an excellent opportunity to further whittle down the walls around her heart.

And besides, Yuu mused as she made her way to the Asahina residence that evening, the crows were continuing to grievously underperform, and it was giving her yet anotehr headache. She needed a distraction.

As if on cue, a crow swooped down from a powerline and gifted Yuu a shiny bottlecap with a bird insignia on top. Her lip curled with disgust. This should not have been this hard! Tsukiko had apparently just gone out and _found_ the other Medallion, and she was one girl! Why couldn't a hundred-odd birds do the same?

Whatever! She had bigger fish to fry, Yuu reminded herself, disdainfully throwing the bottlecap aside and continuing onwards to the Asahina residence. For a moment, she found herself hesitant to see Irene, but she quickly shook it off and rang the doorbell. Lady Sardonyx would never look at her if she never delivered on her promise.

For a moment, there was no response. Maybe there was no one home. For a moment, Yuu wondered if she should leave... and then Robin answered the door. Yuu didn't even attempt to hide how annoyed she was at the older girl's mere existence. Robin didn't seem to notice. She was either deliberately ignoring that or too… _her_ to care.

"Oh, _buonasera_ , Yuu-chi!" Robin chirped. "Thanks for dropping by!" Her tone grew a bit more somber. "If you're here to see Reenie, you… might need to come back tomorrow. She was in a pretty awful state when she came home, so-"

Before Robin could finish her sentence, the sound of footsteps thundering down the stairs could be heard. Seconds later, Irene, still red-eyed, had dashed forwards and gently shoved past her sister and out onto the Asahina residence's front porch.

"It's okay." Irene told her sister, her voice barely above a whisper. "If it's Yuu, it's okay."

Robin looked ready to protest this for a moment, before she thought better of it and retreated into the house with a "Have fun! Let me know if you need anything!"

Yuu and Irene spent a few moments sitting side-by-side on the front porch in silence, watching the crows go about their business (well, _Yuu's_ business), neither willing to say anything. Finally, Irene grew fed up with the lack of communication and withdrew her notepad from her shorts pocket, quickly jotting down a message for Yuu.

'Sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to blow up like that.'

"I'm not mad at you." Yuu said. She was _something_ , but puzzling out what that was would be pointless. And she certainly had no time for pointless things. "Actually, it's about your training. There's something Shishioh-san wanted you to see."

Irene scowled at the mention of that. 'I told you, I quit.' she wrote. 'It doesn't matter what I do. I'm not meant to be an athlete. Not like Akagi-san or Shishioh-san.'

Yuu stared incredulously at Irene. "You think you're not 'meant' to be an athlete, but Shishioh-san is? How ridiculous." So, this must have been what Kohaku had been getting at when she'd relayed her plan to Tsukiko. Huh. She got up, beckoning towards Irene. "Come on."

Together, Yuu and Irene traveled to the point that Kohaku had specified – the hilltop near the residential district, which gave the pair a clear view of a lengthy and steep set of stairs, which led to another portion of the area. Once the pair arrived at the designated point, Irene's eyes widened, and a gasp of awe escaped her mouth.

Kohaku was jogging up the stairs, her form illuminated radiantly by the gentle oranges and soft yellows of the setting sun. Her forehead was beaded with sweat, and she had clearly been pushing herself for quite some time now. Her jog up the stairs seemed to be taking a fair amount of effort - and no wonder, Irene realized, once she picked up on what Kohaku had been wearing on her wrists.

"Weights." she whispered incredulously. "She's doing all that with weights on."

"That's right." Yuu said. "She trains hard like that almost every day. That's what she told me." Well, it was what Kohaku had told _Tsukiko_ , but details, details. "Maybe she does have natural talent, but she still has to work hard to be Sorairo's 'star athlete'. She isn't great on her own."

Irene nodded numbly, still visibly awestruck as Kohaku took a moment to catch her breath. The tall girl looked in the pair's direction, flashing Irene a bright smile and a peace sign before she took off and vanished from view, drawing an enraptured grin from Irene, whose eyes were positively sparkling now.

"Imagine how amazing you could be if you worked that hard." Yuu turned towards the younger girl, her visible eye shining a bit more than usual. "You could be ten times the athlete Akagi-san is! So, train hard, refine your skills, and show everyone how amazing you can be! I'm cheering for you, Irene! All four of us are!"

Yuu could feel herself genuinely getting into this. Was she becoming a much better actor, or did she genuinely believe what she was saying? Who knew? And who cared? It was clearly winning over Irene, and that was all that mattered.

Irene's eyes brimmed with tears, right before she pulled Yuu into a tight hug, making the older girl's heart sing and sink at the same time.

"I will!" she whispered. "I definitely will! Thank you, Yuu!"

* * *

The sun had nearly dipped over the horizon by the time Yuu finally escorted Irene back home. The young girl had insisted on following Kohaku around, so she could watch the rest of her exercise routine, and Yuu hadn't been able to find it in herself to tell her no. After all, the sooner she secured Irene's trust in her, the sooner she could impress Sardonyx. And indeed, the barrier around the young girl's Roaring Spark was that much more eroded once the two parted ways.

Besides, Yuu told herself as she headed back, she still had time to search. She could see easily at night, and if she couldn't use the crows, she would settle for the owls. It was time to get back to work... or it would have been, had her sister and Pretty Cure not been waiting for her as she left the Asahina residence. Kohaku looked terribly worn out, and was leaning a bit on Nanami, Tsukiko looked out of place, and all three of them looked very proud of Yuu.

"Thanks for helping me back there, Yuu." Kohaku said. "I had a feeling you'd come through. You were obviously worried about Irene back there."

Yuu stared incredulously at Kohaku. "Worried?" Was that what that strange feeling had been? But that made no sense! "I was… worried about her?"

"You really do have a kind heart, Yuu." Nanami smiled warmly. "I'm sure Irene must be feeling a lot better by now."

Yuu bit back her disgust at being called kind-hearted in favor of smiling thinly at Nanami. "Yeah. She said 'tell Coach I'll be ready to go tomorrow morning. I don't think I'm ready to jog with weights, though.'"

Kohaku shot Yuu a quizzical look. "'Coach'?"

"I think she means you, Kohaku. Be glad – you deserve the honor." Nanami affectionately nudged the now beet red Kohaku in the side. "Well, now that everything is settled, shall we head back to Shooting Star? Tsubasa has some celebratory hot cocoa with our names on them."

The twins exchanged glances. Yuu looked a bit lost on what to do, so Tsukiko decided to take it from there.

"I'd like that if you're okay with it, Nanami." Tsukiko noticed the way Nanami was staring at her and felt her heart sink a little. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Oh no, not at all!" Nanami said. "I was just surprised you used my first name." She sensed the 'I'm sorry' forming on Tsukiko's lips and added "I'm more than alright with that! We're friends, so we should be on first-name basis anyway."

"I guess so." Yuu said, wondering why it felt so strange, having Nanami treat her so kindly. "And we're still having training camp together, right? As friends?"

"I have no problem with that." Nanami said. "I really want to become stronger alongside all of you. Goodness knows, I have plenty of room to improve."

"I think I'd really like that as well." Kohaku said. "Let's work hard to reach the top together!" She noticed that Nanami had stepped forwards and extended out her hand. "Nanami?"

"If we join hands and cheer together, it cements our vow as a team." Nanami said. "I read that in a book once."

Tsukiko hesitated for a moment before laying her hand on Nanami's own. Kohaku followed suit without a second's hesitation. Yuu hung back at first, looking as if she were seriously contemplating the wisdom of this entire arrangement, before shrugging and laying her hand on top of Kohaku's. The act drew a grimace from the other girl.

"You two have cold hands…" she muttered.

"Well, cold hands, warm heart, right?" Nanami's words drew a quiet sigh of relief from the twins. "Now, everyone! On the count of three… two… one-!"

Everyone withdrew their hands and pumped their fists in the air, giving an enthusiastic shout. Well, everyone but Yuu. She participated, but her cheering and fist-pumping was half-hearted at best. Not that Nanami seemed to mind.

"That's settled – starting today, we are officially a team that aims for the top!" Nanami said. "Now, come on! You don't want your cocoa to get cold."

Nanami prepared to take off running… until she remembered how worn out Kohaku must have been and instead launched into a brisk walk, something that her partner, who fell in behind her, followed closely by the twins, looked quite grateful for.

"If it hasn't cooled down, I can blow on it for you, Kohaku." Yuu dryly informed the taller girl.

" _Please_." Kohaku replied curtly. The group traveled in silence for some time longer, before she added "The are still a lot of crows out this evening. I wonder why that is, Yuu."

" _Mating season_." Yuu fired back.

"Definitely mating season." Tsukiko agreed, with the clear air of someone trying to stifle a fight before it started.

"Whatever you say." Kohaku sighed as the group continued on their way. She did not take her eyes off the crows for long. Or the twins, for that matter.

Even if these two didn't seem terrible at present, Kohaku still didn't trust them. As far as she was concerned, they could be waiting to pull something on her and Nanami, and every moment of friendliness in the interim was simply an act. Nanami was so insistent on thinking of them as friends, so she would do her best to tolerate them. But... if they thought she was going to let their guard down around them, well, the pair had another thing coming.

* * *

Irene woke up bright and early the next morning, with a look of purpose in her eyes. Before anyone else in the Asahina household had so much as stirred, its youngest member had put on her exercise clothes, laced her sneakers, eaten a quick breakfast, and torn out the door. That marked the start to what would become her training camp with Pretty Cure and the twins.

Each day of training started very early in the morning, long before school was in session, with the five girls going jogging together. Irene had struggled a bit during the first morning – she treated the affair as a competition and kept wearing herself out trying to keep ahead of everyone else. That had been Kohaku's cue to step in.

"You worry too much about what everyone else is doing." she had informed Irene after she had led the group through cooldown stretches. "I think that's a big part of why you're struggling – you're thinking 'how do I keep up with her' instead of 'how do I do the best that I can'. Us jogging like this isn't supposed to be a competition anyway."

"That's right." Yuu had agreed. "Forget about matching Akagi-san. Be as strong as you can, for your sake. That's the way to live."

Kohaku and Yuu had looked at one another and coughed awkwardly into their palms, both feeling a bit strange about agreeing with the other, but Irene had obviously been heartened by it. And so, the girl who had struggled with the morning's warm-up jog was soon breezing through it with ease, with a bright smile on her face.

Of course, there were other ways to train as well. During the afternoons, Kohaku led everyone in strength exercises together – as she pointed out, it was as good to be strong and resilient as it was to be quick on your feet. At first, she had resorted to gathering everyone in the park and leading everyone through various full-body exercises, a few of which used the training weights. Kohaku's heart had rose as she noticed Nanami, who had initially struggled with said exercises, growing more proficient by the day, enough that Irene had to stop to compliment her on it. Irene seemed similarly heartened by her own progress… but soon, she had become eager for something more.

And that was how the group had ended up visiting one of the gyms in the area. As the group had stepped inside, Nanami had briefly locked eyes with Robin and Yuzuki, both of whom were sitting at a nearby café table and had flashed knowing smiles in her direction. She did not think much of the gesture… until she and the others had entered and discovered that all five of them had been gifted with paid memberships.

Irene spent some time testing her prowess at the pull up bars, while Nanami took pointers from Kohaku on how to safely use the weight machines. The twins found themselves being coaxed into trying the climbing wall with Irene. The five girls quickly attracted a cheerleader – Sakuya, who, by the look of things, had recently finished exercising himself. He seemed to stand much taller and carried himself more confidently than he had a few weeks ago.

"Oh, she's your coach?" he'd asked Irene, once the girl had summoned enough courage to approach him. "I'm glad – Shishioh-san's full of great advice, and she's really strong, too! I wouldn't mind training some more under her sometime."

"Th-thanks." Kohaku had stammered, looking as if she was going to phase through the floor… and then having to excuse herself, steam practically blowing out of her ears, once Nanami had stepped in to affirm that yes, she had been doing amazingly at her job so far.

The girls had capped off their first visit to the gym by having a go at the punching bag. Irene had given it a few good knocks, and then Tsukiko had stepped in to pummel it far harder than a slender girl like her should have been able to. That had drawn enough awe from passers-by on its own, but then Yuu, not one to be shown up by her sister, had beaten it down with a flurry of graceful kicks. That earned her even more attention... and an uncomfortable stare from Kohaku. Those moves looked a bit too familiar.

From then on, the gym became the group's primary base of operations… and a place that Irene had declared that she was going to keep visiting, even long after training camp was over. But that didn't mean that the park was never utilized again – Irene took to running circles around the same course that Aimi had designated a few days ago, Kohaku timing her laps, as she worked to beat her score, and then the twins and Nanami, once simply trying to beat her best time lost its appeal.

"I'm so glad you gave yourself a chance." Nanami told Kohaku as Irene excitedly celebrated her improvement with Yuu, who was genuinely smiling… and drawing an approving glance from Tsukiko. "You turned out to be an excellent coach, Kohaku. Be proud of yourself."

"You don't know how glad I am to hear that." Kohaku replied. "And you should be proud too, Nanami. You've improved pretty nicely yourself."

Now it was Nanami's turn to flush red. "Ah… really? That's heartening… I wonder if I'll be able to catch up to you now."

"If you keep aiming for the top, I'm sure you can. After all, it's all about hard work and guts!" Kohaku gave an enthusiastic shout and pumped her fist, drawing a quiet giggle from Irene and the twins, before coughing into her palm. "That's what a good coach would say, right?"

"That's what an excellent partner would say." Nanami said warmly, shooting the red-faced Kohaku a wink and a smile before taking off.

Even when she was not training with her four allies, Irene pushed herself to the best of her ability as she and the rest of her classmates prepared for the sports festival. The girl who had once held back out of fear became a stand-out during sports training, and her fellow sixth graders couldn't help but notice.

"Wow… look at Asahina-san go!" one boy said as he watched Irene tear around the sports field. "At this point, she might actually defeat Akagi-san."

"She actually might." another girl remarked. "Look at how much she's improved."

"I heard some junior high school athletes have been spending time with her." yet another girl said. "Naturally, she'd get better with all that attention."

And as the other sixth graders carried on, Aimi watched Irene from her spot behind the chain link fence, her eyes blazing with jealous hatred.

Irene did not notice, and if she noticed, she would not have cared. As the days went on, her training continued, and she became surer of herself, Aimi became less and less of an object in her mind. It was no longer about overcoming her. No, all that mattered was aiming for the top. And once she reached it, she was certain that she could become a girl who could take pride in herself. A cool and confident girl like Yuu and her friends… that would be the ideal.

'It feels like a dream'. Irene told Yuu one evening, as the green-haired girl escorted her home. 'I keep expecting to wake up and find out you all hate me. Or that this was just a cruel joke. But it's not. I have four cool older girls who really like me and really want to help me. I feel like the luckiest girl alive.'

It might have been her imagination, but for a moment, Yuu had looked genuinely sad when Irene had told her that. She wondered why.

* * *

Kohaku had not just been the designated coach during the five's training camp, she had also been the designated chef. No one present had eaten a dinner that was not prepared by Kohaku the last few days. But today was a special day - the day before Nijiro Elementary School's sports festival. So, Yuu had – at Kohaku's behest – asked Irene what her favorite restaurant was, and the burger joint in question was exactly where the group had headed that evening.

"Don't worry about the price." Nanami said. "You can have anything you want off the menu, Irene. It's our treat."

Irene might as well have died and gone to heaven, judging by the look on her face once she'd heard that one. And so, the girl had wasted no time in ordering the largest burger on the menu, along with generous helping of fries.

"Oh my…" said Tsukiko once Irene received her order. "It's a food mountain! Can you scale it, Irene?"

Irene grinned radiantly. 'Yup!' she wrote. 'Training makes me super-hungry! And I've earned this.'

"You certainly have." Kohaku said. "I'm very proud of you, Irene. You did amazingly well."

"We're all proud of you… and I'm proud of us." Tsukiko said. Well, for a given definition of 'proud' where she and her sister were concerned. "Oh! Um… before I forget…" She reached into the pocket of her sports bag and withdrew a small box. "Yamaguchi-san told me you're supposed to wear one when you're competing seriously? I hope it helps."

Irene eagerly opened the box. Within was a gold tie-on headband. She stared at it as if she had been given a precious gemstone.

'Thank you!' she wrote. 'You're really cool, Tsukiko! You and Yuu are both cool! I love both of you!' She looked around the table, her eyes sparkling. 'I love all of you a lot!' And with that declaration, Irene gingerly set aside her new gift, with nothing short of reverence, before eagerly laying into her burger with a delighted grin on her face.

Yuu found herself smiling warmly as she watched Irene in between bites of her own burger. For a moment, she found herself wishing for the girl's continued happiness… and then she caught herself.

That. Wasn't right. Irene was not meant to be happy in the long term. Irene existed as a means to an end, a crucial playing piece in Sardonyx's most important game. Irene existed to…

 _"That girl… if we create a strong Utsuroid out of her, if Pretty Cure cannot purify her in time, she will never return."_

Someday, Irene was going to be the base for a powerful Utsuroid, an Utsuroid that would surely prove too powerful for the likes of Pretty Cure. And when that was done, Irene would never laugh or cry or get angry ever again. Irene would be gone. All that would remain was another empty shell.

That was a good thing. It was good because Sardonyx said it was good. It was because Yuu… because _Tourmaline_ existed solely for Sardonyx.

So why did thinking about it hurt so much?

Irene had noticed how intensely Yuu was staring at her, but before she could even get her notepad out, the sound of deliberately heavy footfalls carried towards the ears at everyone at the table, followed by Aimi Akagi's arrival. Aimi, seemed to have recently finished working out herself, was clearly trying to exude the authority of a queen, as much as an eleven-year-old could. It didn't seem to be working particularly well.

"Oh, there you are, Asahina-san." Aimi said. "Congratulations on completing your training. You've really improved a lot."

Irene stared at Aimi… before looking down and busying herself with her burger. The Cures and the twins looked at one another before following suit.

Aimi's lip curled in annoyance. Nevertheless, she persisted. "Don't think I haven't been working hard either! Aiko and I are very well-off, you know. We get the best kind of training that money can afford."

Nobody responded, unless you wanted to count Yuu briefly glancing towards Aimi, taking a look into her heart, and sharply nudging a thoroughly disinterested-looking Tsukiko. Aimi hissed in agitation and stomped her foot several times. That had no effect either.

"Listen!" she said. "Competing is so much different than training! I won't coddle you like these four have, Asahina! Do you understand?"

Irene continued to not dignify Aimi with any kind of verbal response… but the young girl did look a bit rattled for a moment. Aimi was about to take advantage of that and move in for the kill… until she noticed the waitress who had approached her a few moments ago and was now staring down at her quizzically.

"Excuse me?" she asked. "Are you with them?"

Aimi shot the dirtiest look she could towards Irene and the others before she responded with "No. I was just visiting. I guess I can order something, though."

She spent the rest of her stay there seated at the next table over, sulking and shooting the occasional death glare at the five girls in between sips of her diet cola. None of them seemed to notice or care.

* * *

Truth be told, Nanami found the day of Nijiro Elementary School's sports festival to be a bit bittersweet. Sweet because this would be the culmination of Irene's hard work, and bitter because this would draw an end to her training camp with everyone. There would still – hopefully – be further chances for her to spend time with the twins, but it still would feel a bit strange, not getting up early to to go jogging with everyone or meet up at the gym.

It seemed that many people were as excited about Nijiro's sports festival as she was. When Nanami and Kohaku finally arrived that morning, they found a good number of excited family members of students milling about the area, and by the time they arrived at Nijiro's sports field, Nanami was beginning to wonder if the two of them should have arrived even earlier. There were very few shaded areas, let alone places to sit in general left at this point. And the twins had not showed up during their trek to Nijiro, so she had to worry about them too. Before Nanami could voice her concerns to Kohaku, however-

"Heyyyy, Nana-chi! Kohacchi! Over here!"

-Robin's voice carried towards the two's ears. Sorairo's fencing team captain, who was wearing Chiasa's camera around her neck, was standing underneath a portable shade tent, complete with a blanket and a portable cooler and holding a brightly colored and glitter-accented sign reading 'Go for the Gold, Reenie!' in bright and bold lettering that could easily be seen from fifty-odd feet away. Yuzuki stood nearby, offering Nanami and Kohaku a welcoming smile, and standing near the pair were the twins, both of whom looked a bit out of sorts around their upperclassmen and rather relieved to see the Cures.

"Oh, hello, Yuzuki, Robin." Nanami curtsied to the pair once she and Kohaku had joined the group underneath the shade. "Thank you for reserving a spot for us like this."

"Nonono, thank _you_!" Robin said. "You four did so much to help Reenie this past week! Reserving a spot for you all was the least Yuzu and I could do after everything! Really, you four, if there's anything I can do to repay you, anything at all-"

Yuu looked ready to make a crack about how Robin could start by turning her volume down, but then she caught the look Kohaku was shooting her way and thought better of it. All things considered, it was probably best not to rock the boat right now. Instead, Yuu accepted Yuzuki's offer of a cold Ramune and set to work on that.

"You know…" said Tsukiko. "It'll feel strange, not doing this anymore. It's been fun, getting to spend time with all of you. I'll miss this a lot."

"It was nice seeing how much everyone improved too." said Kohaku. She looked and sounded a bit tense, and it was not escaping the twins. Not in the slightest, judging by the nervous glance shared between the pair. "I really am going to miss this."

"It doesn't have to stop if you don't want it to, Tsukiko!" Nanami said. "There are plenty of things the three of us can do – or the four of us, if you're comfortable with that, Kohaku?" Judging by the concerned look she had shot Kohaku's way, she had picked up on how tense her partner was. "I told you, we're friends – there are plenty of things we can do together."

Robin's eyes lit up as she looked towards her girlfriend. "Yuzu! Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I am." Yuzuki said. "Honestly, I have been for the past week." At the twins' confused expressions, she clarified. "Oh… Robin and I were planning a weekend vacation on my family's private island before summer break. It was the two of us last time, but if you want, I could bring you four along as well. And Irene, of course, if she's interested. I will have to consult with Haruno-san first, mind – we'll need at least one, maybe two extra helicopters, and likely another adult chaperone, but I really would love to have you all along."

"Oh! Yuu and I have an older brother!" Tsukiko said without thinking. "He's definitely an adult. And he never has much going on, so…"

"We'll think about it." Yuu said between sips of her Ramune. Having Pretty Cure and the Void Triad in close quarters sounded… chancy, bonding opportunities with Irene aside.

Before anyone present could say anything more, Aiko Akagi, along with a tall woman who closely resembled her, strode past the portable shade. As Aiko's eyes locked with Yuzuki's and then Nanami's, she rolled them as pointedly as she could before giving them a disgusted sigh and heading on her way. Yuu's visible eye glinted as she watched the elder Akagi sister depart, a small, malicious smile playing on her lips. Once more, she nudged Tsukiko, who could not look less interested in Aiko's Roaring Spark if you paid her.

No matter, Yuu told herself, biting back her irritation at her twin sister's behavior. Tsukiko would have to come around. After all, the two of them were (had to be) always on the same page. It wasn't like they could get around to it right now anyway. This was Irene's moment to shine, and even Yuu had no intention of ruining that. After all, it was strategically important for her to wring as much goodwill out of the young girl as possible. That was all that mattered.

Right?

* * *

Nijiro's sports festival started off not long after the Cures and company had settled in. Irene, who had tied her new headband around her forehead, had been shaking like a leaf during the opening ceremony, much to everyone's clear worry, but once she spotted her sister, who was hefting her sign she relaxed considerably.

Neither the Cures nor the twins knew what a sports festival entailed, but once the events were underway, the four girls could not help but be drawn in. Every class was giving it their all, from the first graders' ball toss competition to the fifth graders' tug of war, along with the dance routines that different classes put on between each performance. Of course, the group paid special attention to the sixth graders' events. Between Irene's knockout performance at her class' cavalry battle and the sixth graders' traditional folk dance, many enthusiastic pictures were snapped. But truth be told, everyone was impressive.

"Their hearts are all shining so brightly..." said Tsukiko, who meant that both literally and metaphorically, as she watched everyone giving their all.

"Of course." said Yuzuki. "Everyone is fighting their hardest to do well by their team and by their school. And of course, they have all been training for weeks – maybe not as intensely as Irene, but they have been training all the same. This is all that effort made manifest."

Kohaku nodded firmly. "The power of hard work and guts, right?"

"Obviously, coach." Yuu shot back, a small hint of affection in her otherwise snarky tone.

Irene was fast becoming a standout among the sixth-grade class. The girl who had once dreaded the sports festival was catching the notice of many of her classmates – for better or for worse – and was no longer showing any signs of nervousness. She was clearly far too caught up in the enthusiasm of the crowd to worry about what anyone might have thought about her at present. Her heart, Yuu noted, was also shining incredibly brightly, far more brightly than that of anyone else there, even if it was still out of reach.

Finally, the moment of truth arrived – the sixth graders' race. Everyone under the portable shade stood rapt with attention as Irene took her placed at the starting line, her headband flowing in the wind as she and the other sixth graders prepared to take off.

"I hope you're ready to lose." Aimi whispered snidely as she took her place next to Irene. "Then everyone will see how 'great' you are, Asahina."

Irene felt a bit of nervousness surge within her, stirred up by Aimi's words and the growing awareness that she had a very large audience. She did her best to swallow down said nervousness, keeping her eyes focused ahead on the horizon as Yuu's words rang in her ear.

 _"Be as strong as you can, for your sake. That's the way to live."_

That was right, Irene told herself. It wasn't about impressing or keeping up with anyone else right now. It was about applying her hard work from the last few days and pouring the spirit she had found within herself into this race. Now was the time to aim for the top!

The whistle blew, and the sixth graders were off like a shot. Well, most of them were. Irene brought up the rear. Where her classmates charged forwards, she kept going at a slow but steady pace, counting each beat, each breath, every bit of stamina she had in reserve as she carried forwards.

Robin looked nothing short of nervous. Yuzuki looked a bit worried herself. But the Cures and the twins had knowing looks on their faces. They knew what Irene was doing.

Aimi shot Irene a dirty look as she dashed past her. "Are you mocking me?!" she hissed.

Irene did not answer. Instead, she continued her slow and steady pace, letting Aimi take the lead. Once Aimi had secured the top spot, Irene let her linger there for a moment before she suddenly shifted gears. All of a sudden, the girl who had brought up the rear was suddenly blazing past everyone ahead of her.

Aimi did not see it coming. The moment she had taken the lead, she had already declared herself victorious in her own mind. After all, the finish line was so close! Aiko would be so proud! Her mother would surely reward her nicely! And Irene… Irene would learn that a week of training could never put someone like her on Aimi's level.

 _Stupid Asahina…_ Aimi thought to herself. _No matter what they say, I'll never believe you're any good!_

And then Irene blew past her and across the finish line.

Aimi failed to register what had happened at first, and once she did, the girl who had considered herself Nijiro's star athlete was overcome by shock. As she stared forwards, unable to move, her classmates overtook her and joined Irene, who they were all crowding around and congratulating, on the other side of the finish line. Aimi was left alone. Not just in second place. Dead last.

"N-no…" Aimi stammered, her pupils shrinking in shock. "That… that's not right at all! Asahina couldn't possibly…!" She looked towards where her mother and older sister were standing. Neither of them looked at all impressed with her at present. "Asahina! I'll never forgive you!" Aimi snapped as she rounded on Irene. "Do you understand?"

Nobody responded. They simply walked off together, a few classmates still congratulating Irene, who stopped to flash a bright smile in the direction of Pretty Cure and company. Aimi stared blankly after them before giving a scream of rage and running off the field. Aiko looked over at her mother, both Akagi women visibly lost as to what to do, before Aiko went running after her sister.

Neither of the twins registered what had just happened at first. Both were genuinely caught up in celebrating Irene's victory with everyone else. For a moment, the pair could forget that they were not normal girls and allow themselves to get swept along with everyone else's high spirits, as Robin gushed over her sister's improvement, Nanami congratulated Irene in between praising the terribly flustered Kohaku for helping her, and Yuzuki spoke of arranging a celebratory party for Irene's victory.

And then Yuu spotted Aiko, whose Roaring Spark was shining radiantly, taking off after Aimi out of the corner of her eye.

For a moment, the older twin felt herself hesitate. Some small part of her really didn't want to go forwards and attack anyone. It would derail the rest of the sports festival. It might upset Irene. And seeing Irene upset in any way was…

…not something she should be caring about in any way, Yuu sharply reminded herself as she tightened her fist. What was the happiness and comfort of a mere resource compared to the pride and joy Sardonyx would feel once Yuu finally delivered on her promises? What was something as fleeting and petty as a sports festival compared to Sardonyx's promised world of silence? And what was inconveniencing everyone compared to Sardonyx never looking at her again?

So, Yuu flashed everyone an apologetic smile and muttered a quiet "I need to step out for a second. Sorry."

Tsukiko's heart dropped the moment Yuu spoke. She knew her twin far too well to believe that Yuu actually needed to take a break. No, this had everything to do with the Akagi sisters and their Roaring Sparks. And Tsukiko was expected to help Yuu. The younger twin glanced nervously at Nanami, who seemed to be too busy conversing with Yuzuki to even notice her. She hated the idea of causing her even more trouble. But she hated the idea of angering Yuu even more.

So, Tsukiko muttered a half-hearted "Same here, sorry." before taking off.

It took the others a minute to register the twins were gone, given their elation over Irene's victory and distraction with the remaining events of the sports festival. When Kohaku did finally take note of their absence, Nanami could sense her partner's hackles visibly raising, prompting her to shoot a worried glance in Kohaku's direction.

"I'm sorry, Nanami." Kohaku said quietly. "But those two..." She shook her head. "No matter what, I can't just stand here."

Nanami gave Kohaku's hand a gentle squeeze. "Of course." She turned to her upperclassmen. "Robin, Yuzuki, I'm sorry, but there's something that Kohaku and I need to take care of. We'll be right back."

Yuzuki shared a knowing glance with Robin before nodding. "I understand." she said gently. "Please be careful, you two."

Nanami and Kohaku nodded to one another before taking off, both girls trying to ignore how hard their hearts were beating in their chests. No matter what happened, it would be alright on their end, Nanami told herself. After all, she and Kohaku had powered up since their ordeal back then, right? But, those two... those two might...

...she would cross that bridge when she came to it, she decided. What mattered right now was keeping everyone else safe.

* * *

It took several moments of frantic searching on Aiko's end before she finally located Aimi. Her little sister was huddled miserably behind one of the field's storage sheds, her face wet with tears and her eyes swollen and red.

"What do you think you're doing?" Aiko demanded as she stared down at her little sister.

Aimi looked up and sniffled miserably. "What's it look like? I can't go out there! Not after I lost like that!" She broke down sobbing as she stared at the ground. "I'm not a loser… I wouldn't… Asahina must have cheated! She and those girls must've… they must've…"

Aiko rolled her eyes. "I watched the whole thing. Asahina didn't cheat. You just got complacent. And now Himi-san and her annoying little friends are…" She looked away, gritting her teeth in annoyance. "Oh, whatever! Get up, Aimi! Do you think Mom would want to see you like this?"

Aimi got up and wiped her eyes with the back of her arm. "What can I do? I can't face my class. Or Asahina-san. Not after…"

Aiko shook her head. "And make things worse with Mom? Don't joke, Aimi. Come on."

She took her still-tearful sister by the hand and moved to return to the field. Or she tried to. Both sisters only made it a few paces.

"What the hell?!" Aiko snapped. She looked down to find that her feet were held fast to the ground by a circle of blue runes, while Aimi's were similarly bound by a circle of silver runes. "What is this?!"

Before Aiko could say anything more, Aimi looked up and gasped in shock. Aiko followed her gaze to find two strangely-dressed and rather inhuman-looking teenage girls, both of whom were balanced side-by-side on the chain link fence near the storage shed and were regarding the pair with blank, unsettling stares.

Aiko kept fighting to free herself, "What the hell!" She narrowed her eyes at the twins. "Let us go right now, you creepy freaks!"

"I refuse." Tourmaline replied coolly. "After all, you two have something we need."

Aimi began to wail in fear. Aiko gaped in disbelief at Tourmaline, before she glanced over at her clearly terrified sister. When she looked back at the twins, her demeanor had shifted slightly.

"Fine, whatever." she said. "If this is some kind of weird mugging attempt, then sure, I'll play. But leave Aimi out of this!" As Aiko spoke, she moved in front of her sister, as best as she could, given her currently restricted movement range, and extended her arms out protectively. "For god's sake, she's just a kid!"

Selenite's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the Akagi sisters. Aiko was right, after all. Aimi was just a kid. Just like Irene. And for all her unpleasantness, Aiko clearly loved and wanted to protect Aimi. They had no right to do this. Just like Y… _Tourmaline_ had no right to target Irene. But…

…her twin's eyes were on her now, and Selenite could not find it in herself to disobey, as much as a part of her mind was screaming at her to stop this. So much for being better, she mused bitterly. The Lunar Medallion had terrible taste indeed.

"I'm very sorry." For once, Selenite's apology was quite genuine. "But… we'll be taking your Roaring Sparks now!"

Tourmaline and Selenite touched down in front of the stunned Akagi sisters and extended their hands towards the pair.

"Roaring Spark…" said Tourmaline, as the gem on the back of her hand began to glow.

"…come forth!" said Selenite, as the gem on her hand glowed in turn.

Aimi screamed in pain as her Roaring Spark was ripped forth from her chest. Aiko didn't. She gritted her teeth even as her own Roaring Spark was torn out and blackened. She didn't want her sister to worry, Selenite realized with no shortage of distress. And Tourmaline recognized it, she noted, as she glanced over at her sister.

Not that it mattered, Selenite reminded herself as the pair were swept up in a dark violet sphere of energy, this one larger than normal. After all, as Tourmaline would point out, even the love between sisters would vanish in the end. So, it was pointless to be upset about this. Or so she tried to tell herself.

* * *

The sky over Nijiro Elementary School's sports field suddenly grew dark, and Nanami and Kohaku instantly realized that they were too late.

Neither girl had been able to successfully locate the twins, let alone the Akagi sisters. And when the sky above them suddenly darkened, both felt their hearts sink. Even then, the pair wasted no time in hurrying towards the sports field. Worrying about their failure to prevent another Roaring Spark from being stolen wasn't going to save anyone.

The mood across the sports field had rapidly shifted from elation to nervousness. Many of the adults were worriedly speculating about rain, while many students trembled in fear, unsettled by the foreboding atmosphere that had suddenly settled over the area. And then multiple birds swooped down from the sky and a number of rabbits suddenly wandered into the scene. The confusion and fear in the crowd only grew. Something was wrong, but what?

Irene tore towards Nanami and Kohaku the moment the pair arrived on the scene. Although words were beyond her, the question she meant to ask was plainly visible on her face – _"Where are Yuu and Tsukiko?"_

Nanami laid a reassuring hand on Irene's shoulder. "Please don't worry." she said gently. "Those two are smart girls. I'm sure they found some place safe to hide."

"Right. I'm sure they did." There was a clear discomfited note in Kohaku's voice. At Irene's worried glance, she added "Don't worry about it. Just hurry and get out of here! Nanami and I will be safe. I promise."

Irene hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath, nodding, and running towards Robin and Yuzuki. The two waited for her to catch up with them before they retreated from the area.

There was a loud rushing sound, and an immense shadow fell over the sports field as an immense, two-headed draconic creature appeared in the sky. It had a massive wingspan and was covered in silver scales. One of its heads had red hair styled like Aiko Akagi and a gold-trimmed navy gem on its forehead and the other had red hair styled like Aimi Akagi with a gold-trimmed silver gem on its forehead. Tourmaline and Selenite stood atop its shoulders, both sisters' gazes homing in on the Cures.

Panic rapidly set in around the sports field, as most everyone in the area scrambled to flee from the Utsuroid. They did not get very far before they succumbed to the Utsuroid's influence, collapsing in an unconscious heap as negative energy poured off of them in waves. Soon, Nanami and Kohaku were the only ones left standing.

Kohaku narrowed her eyes at the twins, mentally cursing the pair for what they had done, even as she readied her Roaring Compact. "Nanami, let's transform!"

Nanami readied her Roaring Compact, a look of resolve in her eyes. "Right!"

"Medal, set! Pretty Cure, Roaring Rebirth!"

"Guardian of the ocean that blooms with life! Blossom Knight, Cure Delphinus!"

"Guardian of the wind that sweeps through the plains! Tempest Knight, Cure Leo!"

"The two of us are Pretty Cure!" Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo chorused.

"Those who cruelly meddle with the hearts of others-" Cure Leo said, pointing a finger at Tourmaline.

"We'll put a stop to your actions at once!" Cure Delphinus said, following suit as she stared down Selenite.

Tourmaline smirked at the Cures' speech. "You two always sound so sure of yourselves." she said bitterly. "I'll wipe those smiles off your faces today! Don't think you're the only ones who are more powerful together!"

"Right…" Selenite said. Her heart clearly was not in her words. "We'll combine our powers and take you down! Utsuroid!"

The Utsuroid gave an animalistic howl of fury, one that sounded not unlike two voices chorusing as one, before it dove towards Delphinus and Leo, talons extended.

"We're not losers… we're not losers… we're definitely not losers!" it screamed in Aiko and Aimi's combined voices. "An Akagi never gives up! That's why… that's why…!"

Pretty Cure was ready for the Utsuroid's charge. The moment it dove towards them, Delphinus and Leo leapt backwards and out of the way, leaving its talons to gouge a chunk out of the sports field. True to its words, the Utsuroid was not one to be deterred – it quickly recovered, spitting fury as it pursued the pair, which dodged and wove closer and closer to one of the scoreboards in the area, leaving their immense pursuer to tear up the earth as it went after them.

Once Delphinus had the Utsuroid where she wanted it, she looked at Leo, her vivid pink eyes shining. "Leo… we have them in position."

Leo nodded, grinning in anticipation. "Let's do it, Delphinus."

Pretty Cure gave a shout of fury as their forms blazed with pink and orange light. The pair leapt backwards, using the scoreboard as a springboard to launch themselves even farther into the air. As they descended side by side, their forms blazed like small meteors.

"Pretty Cure…" Delphinus cried.

"…Hurricane…" Leo cried.

"…Kick!" the two chorused. Orange lightning crackled and pink water danced around their forms as their white-hot combined kick drove into the Utsuroid's back with the force of a small missile. The impact created an explosion of multicolored light and knocked it right out of the air. The twins were forced to hold on for dear life as their creation crashed heavily into the ground in an explosion of grass and soil, leaving a sizable crater in the middle of the sports field.

"Such power…" Selenite muttered as she stared at the Cures, who had touched down on the bleachers a few yards away, their eyes blazing as they stared down their opponents.

"How…" Tourmaline started, even as the Utsuroid levered itself up and out of the ground, roaring in fury as its twin gazes trained on the Cures. "Even with an Utsuroid like this…!"

"It doesn't matter how strong you become!" Leo said as she cut lasers out of the air with the blades of thunder created by the Tempest Saber. "It doesn't matter what tactics you use! You'll never be a match for our hearts of justice!"

"Don't think this power comes from us alone!" Delphinus said as she blasted away several projectiles with the Blossom Scepter without so much as flinching. "It's because of…"

Yuu, who was strange, aloof, and sometimes unpleasant, and yet showed such kindness towards animals and such love and concern for Irene.

"…because of…"

Tsukiko, who carried such guilt and sadness around with her but was still trying to do better by herself and others.

"…because of our precious friends!" Delphinus shouted as she and Leo launched themselves off the bleachers and towards the Utsuroid, Melody Arms at the ready.

Irene… Tsubasa… Amane… every precious person she had met in Seizato… there was no way she was going to let them lose their hearts! There was no way either of them could give up against this opponent!

Tourmaline's irises shrank in fury as the Cures charged towards the Utsuroid. "Shut up!" she screamed. "Your bonds are meaningless! Your friendship is meaningless! Utsuroid!"

The Utsuroid gave another cry as a multitude of scales detached from its body and fired towards the Cures, forming into a horde of smaller copies of itself. Neither Delphinus nor Leo looked particularly deterred. Both met the horde head-on, using some members of small army as miniature platforms on the way towards their main opponent, blasting and slicing still more out of the air with their Melody Arms, and sending those that got too close packing with a well-placed punch or a well-aimed kick.

Tourmaline narrowed her eyes and summoned her crossbow, aiming it right at Delphinus. Once Leo realized what was about to happen, she dove in front of Tourmaline's attack, deflecting the hail of wind-based arrows with her shield… and leaving the pair wide open to a laser blast from one of the Utsuroid's mouths. The two Cures were knocked out of the air, landing hard enough to leave small indentations on the ground. Above them flew a small army of copies, ready to dive downwards and finish them off.

But Delphinus and Leo were not about to be deterred. The moment the Utsuroid's copies dove towards them, the Cures, both of whom were running on pure adrenaline at this point, were on their feet, converting their Melody Arms to their instrument modes as they prepared to intercept the horde.

"Pretty Cure Blossom Elegy!"

"Pretty Cure Tempest Rock!"

Heart shaped globules of water rained down upon the horde and multiple lightning bolts speared them from all sides, creating a series of miniature multicolored explosions, which lit up the air like a small fireworks display, and leaving the twins to cringe in pain from the sounds of the Melody Arms.

"The future of Illuster… the future of Earth!" Leo said. "The two of us will never stop fighting to protect it!"

"That's right!" Delphinus said as the pair prepared to meet their opponents head on. "For everyone's sake… we will never give up!"

The Utsuroid came swooping down out of the air and towards the Cures. "We can't lose!" it screamed. "We're not allowed to lose! We'll prove ourselves! We'll reclaim our pride, by defeating you right now!"

Both heads opened their mouths wide, blasting an immense, white-hot laser towards Pretty Cure, who immediately countered with their combined shield. The two dug sizable gouges into the groundas they fought to keep their shield up just long enough for the Utsuroid to burn itself out. Their resolve proved stronger - the Utsuroid's attack petered out half a second before their shield shattered. It landed on the ground, its energy depleted, while Delphinus and Leo were left a bit winded but otherwise intact.

"Did you really think that would stop us?" Leo asked, smiling tauntingly at the twins. "You'll have to try harder than that!"

As Delphinus and Leo rushed towards the temporarily grounded Utsuroid, the pair split up, each clearly gunning for one of its heads, Melody Arms at the ready.

Tourmaline narrowed her eyes in disgust. "As if we'd fall for such a transparent maneuver!" she hissed. "Selenite!"

"Understood." Selenite replied hollowly.

Both twins leapt off the Utsuroid's shoulders and rushed towards Pretty Cure from opposite directions, their weapons at the ready. As Delphinus and Leo headed towards them, the Cures exchanged a brief, knowing glance and increased their momentum, leaving the sisters to accelerate their speed in turn. When both duos were seconds away from meeting one another head-on, the two Cures leapt upwards.

Tourmaline had room to get out one quick shout of distress before she and Selenite's combined momentum sent them crashing into one another. The twins laid stunned on the ground as Pretty Cure touched down in front of them. Before either could do a thing, the Cures struck with their Melody Arms, cracking the Utsuroid's forehead gems. As it collapsed, the two Cures nodded at one another, linked their hands, and readied their finisher.

"Oh water, cascade and flow!" Delphinus cried.

"Oh lightning, sparkle and dance!" Leo cried. "Our radiantly roaring hearts-" she said, extending her free hand outwards as orange lightning energy flowed into her opened palm.

"-shall become the light that pierces the void!" Delphinus said, extending her own free hand outwards as pink water energy flowed into her own opened palm.

"Pretty Cure! Roaring Hurricane!" Delphinus and Leo chorused as their combined finisher fired towards the Utsuroid, cutting an immense gouge through the ground in the process. As it hit the Utsuroid, it was enveloped in multicolored light… and when the light dissipated…

…it was still standing.

Leo stared in disbelief. "Even after all that… how?"

Tourmaline laughed dryly as she levered herself painfully off the ground. "Did you really think you'd be able to take out an Utsuroid like this with such a weak attack?" she said snidely. "All that arrogance and yet no common sense."

"Oh well." Selenite sounded as unenthused as Tourmaline did arrogant. "Guess you won't be able to purify them in time."

Delphinus looked over her shoulder at the twins. "Agate said something like that before." she said. "Tell me… what will happen in that case?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Tourmaline said. "Those girls' Roaring Sparks will be permanently suppressed. Even if you purify their Utsuroid, they will be trapped as empty shells." Just like Irene would be someday, her subconscious bitterly reminded her. "And… the people around you? Everyone affected by the Utsuroid?"

"Their Roaring Sparks are being suppressed right now, you know. Just... very slowly." Selenite continued, her tone melancholic. "If you can't destroy this one, their Roaring Sparks will blacken. Pretty Cure… you can take on one Utsuroid, but can you take on fifty? A hundred?"

"I don't know." Delphinus said solemnly as she looked away from the twins and gave Leo's hand a squeeze. "And it doesn't matter. Because…" She looked up, her eyes blazing with fury. "…because we're not going to let that happen!"

Leo grinned affectionately at her partner. "That's my Delphinus!"

"When we were cornered after arriving on Earth... when we were faced with an Utsuroid we couldn't beat... when each of us was forced to fight on her own... each time we faced a hopeless situation, we were able to find a new power in ourselves!" Delphinus said as her heart began to glow with pink light.

"That's right!" Leo said as her heart began to glow with orange light. "And we'll do that this time as well!" She summoned the Tempest Guitar again in a flash of orange light. "Delphinus... remember the duet I wanted us to perform? Let's do one in earnest this time."

Delphinus' eyes widened before she nodded and summoned the Blossom Flute in a flash of pink light, a delighted grin on her face. "Of course, Leo!"

As the two Cures declared their resolve, their hearts began to shine ever more brightly, and the pair found words floating unbidden into their minds.

"Let our radiantly roaring hearts create a beautiful harmony!" the two Cures cried out in unison as they readied their Melody Arms.

"Oh water, play a cascading melody!" Delphinus cried before playing a tune on the Blossom Flute, sending pink energy-based flower petals swirling around her form and globules of pink water dancing about her in the air.

"Oh lightning, dance to a sparkling rhythm!" Leo cried before playing a chord on the Tempest Guitar, sending wind kicking up around her and sparks of orange lightning dancing about her form.

"Sing out together, oh powers of Pretty Cure!" Delphinus and Leo chorused as they linked their hands, the ornaments on the backs of their gloves glowing with multicolored energy. "Pretty Cure Roaring…" The two pointed their Melody Arms, both of which glowed brightly in their respective colors, towards the Utsuroid. "…Concerto!"

Two immense bursts of energy, one pink, one orange, blasted forth from the Cures' Melody Arms, weaving and intertwining into an immense multicolored heart-shaped laser. Said laser rushed towards the Utsuroid, engulfing it in a massive explosion of rainbow-colored light and causing the gems on its foreheads to shatter. As this happened behind Delphinus and Leo, the pair posed in unison, as if they had just finished giving a virtuoso performance together.

"It's so…" the Aiko-based head of the Utsuroid said.

"…so warm!" the Aimi-based head of the Utsuroid said.

The defeated Utsuroid gave off multicolored energy – much more than before, given its dual sources, before its form resolved into an unconscious Aiko and Aimi, whose now-pristine Roaring Sparks sunk back into their chests as they were gently deposited onto the ground.

"We…" Delphinus started in disbelief, her form trembling from equal parts exertion and elation, as she stared at the prone Aiko and Aimi. "We did it! Leo!" She pulled her partner into a tight hug before breaking into tears of relief. "Thank god…"

Leo looked like she was about to say something in response… and then she suddenly pulled away from Delphinus, summoning her shield in just time to deflect the hail of arrows that Tourmaline had just fired her way.

"Maybe you pulled a win out of nowhere against our Utsuroid…" Tourmaline's shoulders heaved with fury as she stared down Pretty Cure, crossbow at the ready "…but there is no way you can take us down!" She dropped into a fighting stance, her visible eye blazing with desperation. "We'll defeat you here and now!"

Before Tourmaline could attack the Cures, Selenite caught her by the arm, shaking her head.

"We can't!" she said. "At their power level… there's no way we could survive an attack like that head-on!"

Tourmaline pulled away from her sister, staring at her in disbelief. "What are you saying, Selenite?" she said. "To create Lady Sardonyx's ideal world of silence, even if it costs us our lives-!"

Delphinus shook her head. "You wouldn't do that, Tourmaline." she said gently. "No matter what you say, you would never sacrifice you and your sister's lives for such a thing."

Tourmaline's face contorted in rage as she rounded on Delphinus. "How dare you doubt my loyalties!" she snapped. "Selenite! Let's end this!"

Selenite looked from her sister to Pretty Cure and back to her sister. For a moment, she looked ready to obey Tourmaline's orders... and then she shook her head.

"I refuse."

Before Tourmaline could so much as open her mouth to protest, Selenite vanished in a burst of sparkling silver light. Tourmaline was left to stare at the empty space where her sister had been just a few moments ago before she turned her attentions back to the Cures.

"This is not the end!" she hissed. "I will never rest until I defeat the two of you! With or without Selenite!"

Tourmaline vanished in an upward gust of wind. Moments later, the Cures released their transformations as the sun returned to the sky and the damage inflicted on the surroundings by their fight faded away in a shimmer of soft, multicolored light.

"We need to see to those two before anything else." Nanami said, once she had gathered her bearings. "And then... we definitely need to catch back up with Irene and our upperclassmen. And the twins, of course."

"Right..." A frown crossed Kohaku's features at the mention of the twins. "Probably should get some water too. That last finisher took a lot out of us."

 _I don't care what you say_ , Nanami thought, even as she and Kohaku hurried to check on the Akagi sisters. _You two must know how precious this world and your lives really are. And that is why I'll never give up on you. Not until the day we can understand each other's hearts._

* * *

The closing ceremony of Nijiro Elementary's sports festival had been a bit of a mess. Many people were still recovering from the Utsuroid's attack, and still more were struggling to make sense of what had happened. Even now, Nanami and Kohaku overhead people wondering openly if the monster attack they had been witness to had been little more than an unpleasant nightmare... and if the two heroines that had shown up to fight off the monster had been a part of that dream as well.

Yuu and Tsukiko did not show up again until halfway through the closing ceremony. Neither twin so much as attempted to produce an explanation for where they had been. For a moment, Nanami wanted to say something to reassure the sisters that all was right between her and them... and then she had spotted the strangely discomfited look in Yuu's eyes once she moved to speak to her and thought better of it. For now, she decided between sips of her bottled water, she would give the two space.

At the end of it all, Irene had come away as the proud owner of a shiny new trophy, a participation medal, and the praise of her classmates. As she accepted her awards, many of her fellow students burst into cheers, and the Cures and their upperclassmen soon followed suit. After some awkward silence on her end, Tsukiko quickly joined in... as did Yuu, once she noticed Irene's eyes on her.

Once the sports festival was finally over, and everyone prepared to return home, Irene tore towards the group and promptly tackle-hugged Yuu.

"Never… never disappear like that again!" she whispered. "I was so scared!"

Yuu stared blankly at Irene. For a moment, she felt the same anger she had felt towards Delphinus for daring to assume that she would value her life over Sardonyx's happiness. But there was another part of her that felt nothing but relief, knowing that someone outside of her family cared if she was alive or not... and another part of her that promptly panicked at that realization. Such feelings were nothing but inconvenient, considering who she was supposed to be.

 _Pretty Cure…_ Yuu thought darkly. _This is why I have to eliminate you posthaste. Before you take my sister from me, before I lose myself-!_

Irene was looking up quizzically at Yuu, and Yuu could feel her upperclassmen and the Cures - particularly Kohaku - staring at her as well. That was her cue to force a smile and pat Irene on the head.

"It's okay." she said. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

That was a lie, of course. But it wasn't as if Irene would be able to miss her in the end, she thought bitterly as she helped everyone else back up. After all, Irene would not be able to feel anything at all soon enough, she noted, as she glanced idly into the girl's heart. She was almost ready to target. Almost.

Once the group had finally packed up and was beginning to leave, Aimi suddenly ran up to them.

"Wait!" she called. "Asahina-san!"

Irene paused in her tracks and stared at Aimi. Her body language was nothing short of guarded, and her gaze was wary.

"Hey, there's no need to be defensive!" Aimi snapped. "I'm sorry, okay? I knew you were great from the start! I picked on you because I was jealous, Asahina-san! I thought if I crushed your spirits, you'd never beat me! But... obviously, I was wrong. So..." She offered her best attempt at a friendly smile to Irene. "We're okay with each other now, right?"

Irene stared at Aimi, her eyes widening slightly. For a moment, it looked like she was ready to say something... and then she shook her head and walked away.

Aimi's eyes narrowed. "Hey!" she snapped as she started after Irene, who simply continued on her way with the others. "Did you hear me? I said I was sorry!"

Tsukiko, who had brought up the rear of the group, paused to regard Aimi. "Do you really think apologizing will undo everything else?"

And then Tsukiko had taken off as well, leaving Aimi to yell futilely after the younger twin, demanding she tell her what she was supposed to do next. Tsukiko could not respond. After all, she didn't know the answer to that question herself.

* * *

Once the group had arrived in front of Nijiro Elementary, Robin had stopped them before anyone could go any further.

"Before we go, we should definitely take a celebratory picture or two!" she said. "We can't leave without that! It's not right at all!"

"You're definitely right, of course." Nanami agreed. "After all, this is the culmination of our training camp!" She turned to Kohaku, Irene, and the twins, her eyes shining with excitement. "We should definitely take a picture to commemorate this moment!"

Kohaku nodded in agreement. "Let's make it a good one for your sake, Irene." she told the young girl. "We might have teamed up to help you, but in the end, it was your hard work and spirit that earned you that victory."

Irene pulled out her notepad and jotted down a quick 'Thank you so much, coach!' before offering a grin and a peace sign to the now very flustered Kohaku. With that done, the motioned the Cures and the twins into position behind her. Once the four were in place, she stared quizzically at Robin and Yuzuki.

"I think it would be best if we did a photograph with you five first." Yuzuki explained. "After all, this was your victory in the end."

" _Le mot juste_ , Yuzu!" Robin said as she readied Chiasa's camera. "Now... on the count of five, everyone say 'victory'!"

In the end, Irene was also the proud owner of a celebratory photograph depicting her, medal around her neck and trophy in hand, smiling proudly as she stood in front of the four girls who had motivated her to aim for the top - Nanami, who was offering the camera a radiant smile, Kohaku who looked both very shy and very proud, Tsukiko, who seemed equal parts out of place and at peace, and Yuu, whose body language was stiff and whose smile was very thin... but genuine all the same.

Several days later, Irene sat the framed photograph on one of her bedroom shelves, next to her new trophy, which now had her headband draped over it, and her new medal. The young girl stood back and took in the sight of her prizes, a bright smile on her face as she felt her heart soar. Yes... it still felt a bit like a dream, but she was finding it easier to accept this was real. Maybe she really could afford to open her heart to those four, Yuu in particular

For the first time in a long time, Irene felt genuinely hopeful about what laid ahead of her. She was so glad she had meet Yuu and the others - she couldn't wait to see what the future would hold for all of them!


	14. Episode Fourteen

**Episode Fourteen** : To Harm or Heal? Tsukiko's Conflict!

* * *

Nanami hummed thoughtfully as she and Sirius idled in uptown Seizato. The elder princess of Illuster opened the notepad on her phone once more, carefully going over the checklist that Tsubasa had helped her and Kohaku prepare for their upcoming weekend vacation at Yuzuki's private island. Tsubasa had claimed that she seemed to have most of the essentials, but well, one could never be too careful when managing an itinerary.

"Your first summer here, and you're kicking it off riding to a private island by helicopter." Tsubasa had said with a low whistle, once Nanami and Kohaku had broken the news to her on the night of the sports festival. "Then… you guys did live in a castle and all. I'm sure this is nothing new to you."

"Oh no," Nanami had said "this is novel, in a way. I have been brought along on a few diplomatic visits and such, but never unsupervised. And the sort of places I visited with Mother and Celes were a far cry away from a small private island like this." She had looked aside, flushing a bit. "To be honest, I have no idea how one would conduct themselves on a normal vacation, let alone prepare for one. I always had people doing that for me."

"Nanami, that's nothing to be embarrassed about." Kohaku had informed her flustered partner.

"Damn right, it's not." Tsubasa had agreed. "I can help with all the vacation preparation, if you two and Sirius can help me do the shopping? And… as for the bit about adult supervision… I'll see what I can do. Wouldn't mind a private island vacation myself, if you'll have me."

There had been an unspoken note of 'I'm worried about letting you two stray too far' in Tsubasa's voice, Nanami noted. It was understandable that she would worry – wherever she and Kohaku went, trouble would inevitably follow.

And the best thing the two of them could do, Nanami mused as she gave her checklist another careful once-over, was try their best to keep Tsubasa unaware of their closer calls, lest she end up worrying more. Neither she nor Kohaku was certain that was working. Or that her idle mention of inviting the twins, who kept claiming they hadn't decided yet had not set off alarm bells in Tsubasa's head. It seemed that Kohaku wasn't the only one who was leery of those two.

"So, what is the verdict, Lady Nanami?" Sirius asked as they stared up at her quizzically. "Everything present and accounted for?"

"It seems that way." Nanami said as she put away her phone. "Kohaku already finished her half of the shopping too, from the look of it. All we have to take care of is swimsuits – and Tsubasa said she wanted to be there with us for that one. So!" Nanami nodded firmly. "With that out of the way, there is only one thing left to do!"

The princess and the librarian looked at one another, their eyes sparkling.

"To the library!"

Both Nanami and Sirius hit the ground running, both weaving around passers-by as they charged forwards at top speed. Halfway through their high-speed trek, Sirius suddenly stopped in their tracks, forcing Nanami to come to a sliding stop, mere inches from an ice cream stand.

"Siri?" Nanami asked the librarian, whose ears were perked up and whose tail was swishing steadily. "Is it...?"

"That's right, that's right." Sirius said. "I feel the strong presence of a Roaring Medallion!" As they started off, they noticed Nanami taking off after them and shook their head. "I'll be alright, don't worry!" they assured her. "Wouldn't want all the copies of the new…"

"Trials of Apollo."

"Right, right, the new Trials of Apollo to get checked out before you can get there." Sirius said. "To be honest, I'm more worried about you."

Nanami smiled sadly at that one. "Don't worry. I won't allow Celes or anyone else to lead me into another trap. I wouldn't want to cause you any more worry, Siri."

Sirius hesitated for a moment before heading over to Nanami's side, allowing the princess to scratch them behind the ears. Once Sirius seemed satisfied she was feeling better, the two parted and set off on their separate ways.

"Well…" Sirius said. "Take care, Lady Nanami. And please, stay safe."

"You as well, Siri." Nanami said as she watched the librarian disappear into the crowd. She only continued onwards once they were gone from view.

* * *

Unfortunately, it seemed that Nanami was indeed too late – every last copy of the new Trials of Apollo had already been checked out. Apparently, the series had a great many fans in Seizato, who had eagerly snapped them up that morning.

"Oh well," Nanami and Amane, who was standing a few yards away from Nanami at the library counter, sighed and slouched in unison. "Isn't that how it goes?"

Moments after speaking, the two girls looked at one another, realized what they had done, and burst into laughter – politely muffled by their hands, of course. This _was_ a library.

"Guess great minds think alike!" Amane said as she headed towards the children's section. Nanami followed after her. "How's vacation prep going? Do you have everything together, or are you just taking a break?"

"Kohaku and I have most everything prepared, I believe." Nanami said. "So, why not reward myself with a trip to the library?" She shot Amane, who was consulting a shelf with the focus of an archivist, a concerned glance. "Are you certain you don't want to go along, Amane? Yuzuki did say she was perfectly willing to accommodate you."

Amane shook her head, even as she selected a book from a nearby shelf and began to page through it. "I'm alright, really!" she said. "Summer is a busy time for me! I have grocery deliveries to do, homes to help clean, the sports teams' summer training to assist with… a wannabe hero always has lot on her plate! And besides," she added as she closed the book with a sad smile "I think the twins need something like that far more than I do. They're both worrying me a lot."

Indeed, something seemed up witht he twins. Yuu was even less talkative and more asocial than normal, seeming distant even from the sister she usually stuck to like glue. Tsukiko seemed alright... on the surface. She was polite and sociable, nothing but friendly to the Cures and her other classmates and had been throwing herself into both sports and academics with gusto, but there was an artificiality in her enthusiasm, and she seemed to have become as distant from Yuu as her sister was from her.

Popular theory around 2-B was that the twins had ended up fighting with one another. "And no wonder," a classmate had asserted "Tsukiko-chan is so kind and generous, but Yuu… she's so weird and emotionless, like a robot! Guess Tsukiko-chan got fed up with her." Said classmate hadn't gotten any further than that, between Nanami asking her to stop insulting her friends and the realization that Yuu was staring her down, but it had been clear that a lot of people agreed with said classmate's assertion.

Granted, Nanami did agree with her classmates, in a sense. The twins had likely fought, and she knew what they likely had fought over. But… if she brought that up to Yuu or Tsukiko, the sisters would likely part ways with them. No, she would have to be subtler in her approach if she wanted to reach their hearts.

"I wish there was an easier way to get in touch with Tsukiko." Amane added as she continued to browse the shelves with Nanami in tow, building up a small stack of books as she went along. She paused, an uncomfortable expression crossing her features. "Last time I asked for her phone number, she looked like she was going to cry. And from what I heard of her home life..."

Nanami nodded solemnly. "They both seem like they're hurting. I wish there was something I could do to help them."

"Same, same." Amane said. "See, I made another appointment to read to the kids at the pediatrics ward, and I wanted to invite Tsukiko along. It'd probably help her, right?"

"I believe it might." Nanami did not like thinking about that trip, considering what it had led to, but it had seemed to mean a great deal to Tsukiko. "I could accompany you if you want? I quite enjoyed it myself - and who knows? Perhaps we might run into Tsukiko along the way."

Of course, accompanying Amane would mean potentially leaving Sirius to their own devices a bit longer, assuming they didn't run into one another along the way. Nanami sent a mental prayer towards the librarian - and made a mental note to text Kohaku. Couldn't be too safe, right?

Amane's eyes lit right up. "Really?" she asked as she sprang to her feet, holding a stack of children's books to her chest. "Really, really?" She looked like she might die and go to heaven right there at Nanami's nod of assent. "You're so great, Nanami!" she squealed, a bit too loudly for someone in a library, earning her a loud shushing from a passing-by librarian. Amane slouched sheepishly, a blush creeping to her cheeks. "I'm so lucky, being friends with such an amazing girl."

"I'm happy to know someone as hardworking as you, Amane." Nanami noted the steam pouring out of the other girl's ears as she helped the class representative in her search. "But please, don't overdo it. I'd hate to see you make yourself sick."

"There's no need to worry, Nanami!" Amane said. "Trust me - I know my limits by now!" As she returned to browsing, she added "Now, come on - between you and me, we should find all sorts of great stuff for the kids!"

* * *

Tsukiko Hoshikawa sighed wistfully, the ocean air gently ruffled her bobbed maroon hair as she sat upon a hillside and gazed upon Seizato General in the distance. Several children's books were stacked neatly besides her. By all means, it should have been easy to muster the willpower to take them into the hospital, but Tsukiko didn't feel like doing it right now. Or rather, she wasn't sure if she had the right to step foot into such a place at present.

"What do you guys think?" she asked the small handful of rabbits who had congregated near her. The rabbits, being rabbits, said nothing. Some simply stared right back at her, others cuddled up by her or affectionately bumped her side. Not helpful, but it was at least comforting. "The children will probably be disappointed if I don't show up. But… after everything, do I deserve to be there?"

Yuu was angry at Tsukiko. The moment the two of them had returned to the nameless kingdom after the sports festival, she had let Tsukiko have it. Tsukiko was cowardly, she was foolish for holding back against Pretty Cure, she was ungrateful, not wanting to die for Sardonyx... it had gone on and on until Tsukiko had simply walked away.

Tsukiko was not angry at Yuu. Her sister's anger, she had realized in the middle of Yuu's rant, was born out of fear. Tsukiko understood. She was scared too. Both of them were growing to recognize the beauty in this world and its people. Both of them were forming attachments here. And both of them were hurting for it. It was just a bit easier for Tsukiko to deal with. After all, she had never put quite as much stock in Sardonyx's approval as Yuu did.

 _"I wish you never talked us into spying on them!"_ Yuu had told her that during her rant. Tsukiko agreed, in a sense. The days of being hollow dolls who lived only to follow Sardonyx's orders seemed so depressing in hindsight, but they had been so much simpler. Their mission would have been easier if they could carry on like they had before. But...

Tsukiko reached into the pocket of her skirt and withdrew the Lunar Medallion. It still hurt a little to touch but nowhere near as much as before. In fact, it felt a little comforting to hold onto it like this. How odd.

"I'm sorry, Yuu." she said quietly. "But I can't go back. Neither of us can."

Suddenly, the rabbits around Tsukiko froze up, several rising onto their haunches in attention. Before Tsukiko could ask them what was wrong, the sound of something rushing towards her caught her ears, and the rabbits scattered, seconds before Sirius came tearing towards her.

Tsukiko was immediately on her feet, her mind a blind whirl of panic. Had she been found out? Was Sirius going to deal with her? Would she have to fight them? Her form tensed as she faced Sirius down. She was fully prepared to transform and fight them if she had to.

Sirius stared at Tsukiko. Tsukiko stared right back. Both parties remained frozen before Sirius finally backed away, their ears drooping slightly.

"Please, please, don't panic!" Sirius said. "I know this might seem a bit strange, but I'm really, really not going to hurt you! I promise!"

Tsukiko blinked in surprise before she relaxed. Slightly. "You're not?" A normal human should have been shocked at the existence of a talking dog, but she didn't feel like even trying to seem surprisd. "Then why are you…" She noticed that Sirius was staring at the Lunar Medallion in her hand. "Is it this?"

Sirius nodded. "Now I understand why that Medallion was so hard to track. You must have been chosen by it!"

Tsukiko stared incredulously at Sirius. Chosen? Someone as rotten as her? Don't make her laugh!

"This may be a lot to swallow." Sirius said. "But… then, you're taking the existence of a talking dog surprisingly well." Their tone was slightly forced on that last bit, Tsukiko noted. Maybe they really did suspect her. "Tsukiko Hoshikawa, you must be our third Pretty Cure! The Lunar Knight, Cure Lepus!"

Tsukiko's eyes widened, and the wind kicked up around her as Sirius' words echoed in her head. Her, a Pretty Cure? That… was not possible. She tore her gaze from Sirius, her eyes darkening. She existed to defeat Pretty Cure and usher in Sardonyx's world of silence. Even if she chose not to act on that purpose, someone like her could never…

"Take it." Tsukiko offered the Lunar Medallion to Sirius without meeting their gaze. When they failed to accept it, she dropped it in front of them. She could hear her sister telling her off for giving Pretty Cure an advantage, but she didn't care. Not anymore.

Sirius' mouth worked silently for a moment as they stared at the Lunar Medallion. "You don't understand!" they finally said. "For the Medallion to choose you like this-!"

"Choose me?" Tsukiko asked. She gathered up her books before moving to leave. "You're mistaken. I just found it. There's no way a girl like me would be 'chosen' for anything."

Sirius looked nothing short of crushed, but nevertheless, they directed the Lunar Medallion into the case they wore on their shoulder. Before they could say anything more, or Tsukiko could leave, the sound of more footsteps carrying towards the two could be heard, and then-

"There you are, Tsukiko!"

Nanami and Amane were running towards the pair, both girls holding small stacks of books to their chests. Nanami flashed a beaming smile at Sirius, who returned one as well as a dog could, while Amane beamed at Tsukiko, her smile growing even brighter once she noted the books the younger twin was carrying.

"Oh my gosh!" Amane said. "We were on the exact same wavelength all along, Tsukiko! I'm so glad!" She hesitated before adding. "Um… I'm right, aren't I?"

Tsukiko answered Amane with a half-hearted smile. "You're right." she said. Part of her still wanted to leave, but maybe she would be more deserving of this if Nanami and Amane accompanied her. Maybe.

Nanami, meanwhile, was consulting with Sirius. "Glad I ran into you like this, Siri!" she told the librarian. "Did you…?"

Sirius nodded, casting one last fleeting glance towards Tsukiko, before offering Nanami an unspoken _will you three be alright by yourselves?_

"I believe so." Nanami said. "Take care, won't you, Siri?"

Sirius hesitated for a moment before giving Nanami one last nod and taking off.

"What a smart dog!" Amane exulted as she watched Sirius depart. "Even Nanami's dog is in a class of their own!" She turned to Tsukiko, her eyes sparkling. "Isn't she amazing?"

Tsukiko looked over at Nanami, who smiled warmly at her. The younger twin tried to force a smile in return, even as she felt her heart twist. "Yeah." she said quietly. The three girls stood there in awkward silence for a moment before she added "So… you guys were also going to the hospital, right?"

"Of course." Nanami said. "And we would love to have you along. In fact, we were talking about that just a few moments ago. This is something you really enjoy, isn't it?"

"Yeah!" Amane said. "You've seemed so down lately, and it was worrying Nanami and me. We thought doing something like this might help you, and I'm guessing you had the same idea? I'm so glad!"

Tsukiko looked genuinely floored at the notion of one of her enemies and her first victim worrying about her welfare behind her back. For a moment, she wanted to tell the pair that she didn't deserve such things, but then she thought better of it. She would keep her mouth shut and go along with them. Because the children deserved it.

"Let's go, then." she said with a small smile. "It would be wrong to keep them all waiting."

* * *

Sardonyx seemed a bit frailer than she had before her clash before Pretty Cure, but she was back on her feet and giving the Void Triad the time of day again. At present, she was seated in her throne and regarding Agate and Tourmaline. She looked a bit worried about the people before her... or rather the distinct lack of a person.

"I see Selenite is absent again." Sardonyx said. "Do you know where she might be, Agate, Tourmaline?"

"Sorry, but no." Agate said. "This guy's clueless – all she said was that she had business on Earth, and I'm not a fan of prying."

"It's nothing you need trouble yourself with, Lady Sardonyx." Tourmaline said. "Selenite is my concern. And Agate's too, I guess." Her brother huffed in annoyance at that bit. Tourmaline rolled her eyes in return. "You may lay all your worries about your mission on me, your most devoted subordinate!"

Sardonyx barely seemed to notice Tourmaline's declaration of loyalty. "I see…" she said quietly. "I would hope she was being productive, but…" She looked quizzically at the siblings. "Have either of you two noticed her doing or saying anything odd?"

"No." Tourmaline lied, almost instinctively. Steamed as she was at Selenite, potentially directing Sardonyx's anger her twin's way did not sit well with her. "All is normal with her."

"Yeah, if something was up, we'd come to you." Agate agreed. "But as far as this guy can tell, nothing is."

Sardonyx did not seem entirely convinced. She still dropped the issue. "I can still count on you to bring my beautiful world of silence to fruition, can't I, Tourmaline?"

"Of course, Lady Sardonyx!" Tourmaline said. "I pledge my loyalty to you a hundred times over!" Let Selenite's convictions waver! That was just fine! She had enough conviction to make up for the three siblings combined! "I shall never stop until your ideal world is realized! My life for you, Lady Sardonyx! My life for-!"

Suddenly, there was a burst of violet light, and the doors of the audience chamber were flung open with near-explosive force. Celes stormed through them and towards Sardonyx, her hands still glowing violet . The young girl looked infuriated beyond belief – and if her literally explosive entrance and prominent scowl wasn't driving that home, the fact that she was making sure to stomp her feet as loudly as possible every step of the way was. Even Vulpecula,looked a bit disgruntled – no mean feat for a mere doll.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Tourmaline demanded as she planted herself between Celes and Sardonyx. "This is a private meeting between Lady Sardonyx and her Void Triad. What makes you think you have the right to burst in here like this?"

"We're really doing this again, huh?" Agate sighed. "Tourmaline, for the last time, there's no need to pick fights with the kid!"

" _Come on_ , Tourmaline, be _nicer_ to the brat." Tourmaline muttered in a mocking tone. She glared coldly at Celes. "What gives you the right to such much as _consider_ -"

Sardonyx rose to her feet as the temperature in the air climbed a few degrees. "Tourmaline. Stand down." she said. Tourmaline obliged, if reluctantly. "And Celes," she continued, her demeanor softening noticeably "what seems to be the problem?"

"Lady Sardonyx…" Celes said "why won't you let me go back out? You said I was your most valuable playing piece, right?" That turn of phrase earned her a baleful stare and a mouthed 'liar' from Tourmaline. Celes ignored it. "You said you liked me, didn't you? Then why do you act like those three are the only ones who can do anything?!"

Sardonyx was silent for a moment or two, the shadow she cast on the wall wavering perceptibly as the leader of the Void Clan seemed to retreat into a sort of trance, looking almost as if she was consulting with an unseen third party. Finally, she spoke.

"Agate. Tourmaline. You are dismissed. I wish to consult with Celes in private."

Tourmaline stared at Sardonyx as if the leader of the Void Clan had just punched her in the stomach. Still, she obeyed, shooting her best death glare in Celes' direction as she went along. Agate trailed after her, offering Sardonyx once last concerned-looking glance before he too was gone.

"God, she's so annoying." Celes muttered as she stared after Tourmaline. "So full of herself, so irritable… it gives me such a headache! Doesn't it annoy you, Lady Sardonyx?"

No response.

Celes turned around slowly… and then pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle a scream of terror, Vulpecula mirroring her actions to the letter. Sardonyx was lying slumped forwards on her throne like a rag doll. Her shadow, clearly defined and very much not Sardonyx-shaped, seemed to be staring right at Celes. And…

…there was that feeling of _wrongness_ in the air, far more intense than it had ever been before. Normally, Celes felt at ease around Sardonyx or at least trusted her more than she did the rest of the Void Clan. At present, the young princess, who was trembling all over, wanted nothing more than to flee the audience chamber and never come back.

Not that such an option was open to her. The minute Celes turned to flee, the audience chamber doors slammed shut of their own accord and flashed violet. Something told Celes that they would not open unless Sardonyx wanted them to.

There was a sound of something shifting behind Celes. She turned to find that Sardonyx... or rather, something wearing Sardonyx's form was approaching her. Her movements were far too precise, those of something that had figured out how to imitate humanity perfectly while failing at being convincingly human. The picture-perfect but artificial-looking smile she wore was straight out of the uncanny valley. And her eyes...

Sardonyx's eyes were a brilliant vermillion. The eyes that keenly scrutinized Celes were almost pitch black, with almost no division between pupil and iris. Sardonyx's eyes held a spirit that was sad, vengeful, and above all else, human. These eyes did not have a shred of humanity in them.

Fleeing was not an option. Celes understood that. Still, she backed away slowly as the thing wearing Sardonyx's form drew closer.

"You're not her, are you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "You're not Sardonyx!"

"That is correct." not-Sardonyx said as she stared down at Celes, her attempt at looking reassuring only serving to make her look more unsettling. "I am simply borrowing her body for a while." She crouched down, putting her at eye level with the young girl. "But I am your friend, Celes. Every bit as much as Sardonyx is."

Celes said nothing. She was too frightened to do anything. Not-Sardonyx did not seem to notice.

"I am the reason Sardonyx can create her beautiful world of silence. She is nothing without me, and I am nothing without her. And you, Celes… I can help you achieve great things. Just as you can help me achieve great things."

Celes was still too frightened to speak, but the incredulous stare she shot not-Sardonyx was apparently answer enough.

"I am finally strong enough to properly use this body and yet so very far from being fully restored. I am too weak to help you. But given enough time, this will change. I swear I will give you the power you desire." She stared into Celes' eyes with something that approximated pride. "You have done so much for me already. The least I can do is help you be your best possible self." She laid an ice-cold hand on Celes' shoulder. "After all, this is all that is left for you."

"That's right." Celes repeated hollowly. "This is all I have left."

"Good girl." Not-Sardonyx gave Celes an absent pat on the head, sending a shudder through the young princess' form. "You will not tell Sardonyx about this promise of mine, correct? It is not something she need trouble herself with."

Celes nodded numbly. "Never." Her voice sounded a million miles away to her own ears. "I promise."

"And you will remain here, will you not? I cannot help you if Pretty Cure gets to you first, Celes."

Celes could not think of anything worse than remaining here, not as things were now. But… the idea of becoming strong enough to help to Lady Sardonyx was so tempting. And if that meant dealing with the strange, alien-seeming being that claimed to be her benefactor, then so be it.

"Alright." She tried her best to force herself to stop trembling as not-Sardonyx walked past her, in the direction of the audience chamber entrance. "But!" she added. "if we're going to be friends, I'll need your name! I can't just think of you as 'not-Sardonyx!"

Not-Sardonyx paused to stare at Celes, her black eyes shining. "Queen Kugelblitz. Remember to always speak it with reverence, Celes."

Kugelblitz's form suddenly went rigid and she pitched forwards. Instinctively, Celes dashed forward to steady Kugelblitz before she hit the ground. Or to steady Sardonyx, rather – the eyes that looked back at Celes were slightly unfocused vermillion ones, and the sense of wrongness in the air had dissipated utterly.

"Are you alright, Lady Sardonyx?" Celes asked.

Sardonyx, who looked a bit drained, shook her head. She winced in pain as she struggled ot her feet. "She said she wanted to speak with you, but I didn't realize how draining even _that_ would be. I don't think I was awake for any of it." She hesitated before adding "Did Lady Kugelblitz say anything in particular?"

"Not really." Celes lied. "She really just wanted to say hello. And to tell me to stay here if I could, that too. That was all."

"I see." Sardonyx seemed to be testing the doors of the audience chamber, as if she feared they would not open for her. She seemed relieved when they did. "I'm glad. I was worried she might have grown bored of…" She noticed the way Celes was looking at her and shook her head. "It's nothing you need to worry about, Celes."

"If you say so." Celes bit back the surge of guilt that rose within her stomach. "Do you need fresh air, Lady Sardonyx? You don't look so good."

"As fresh as you can get in a dead world." Sardonyx replied darkly. "But… yes, I think that'd help. It might help both of us."

And then the two of them were off, Celes' exchange with the unsettling queen looping in her mind all the while.

* * *

Nanami and Amane had expected a warm welcome when they and Tsukiko visited Seizato General that afternoon. What they had not been expecting was for Tsukiko to be such a well-known figure among those at the hospital. That had been clear the moment the group entered the lobby, and the receptionist greeted Tsukiko with a warm "Good to see you again, Tsukiko-chan!" drawing a small and quiet "You too, thanks." from the younger Hoshikawa twin.

It only continued as the group made their way to the waiting room. Doctor Rallis had stopped and greeted Tsukiko with a cheerful "And there's our junior healer now! How are you doing?", earning a muttered "I'm alright" from Tsukiko. Several other staff members had stopped to greet her warmly along the way. It seemed that Tsukiko had made a reputation for herself around here.

"You sure are popular here." Amane said as the three girls idled near the waiting room.

"I'm sorry." Tsukiko said quietly. "Yuu and I haven't been getting along, so I was looking for things to do. I remembered how fun this was when we did it, and it takes my mind off... everything, so..."

"We're not upset with you." Nanami smiled warmly at Tsukiko, who guiltily averted her eyes. "It sounds like you've become quite well-loved around here. You should be proud!"

"Maybe." said Tsukiko, who did not know if she deserved to be proud of anything, as the group entered the waiting room.

The reaction from several of the children present was instantaneous. They looked at Tsukiko as if the girl was an old friend who had just returned to them after a long absence, and Tsukiko looked just as fond of them as they were of her.

"Hey, it's big sis!" a girl exclaimed. "Good to see you again!"

"Tsukiko! Hello!" a boy said. "What did you bring for us today?"

"Oh, you brought your friends too?" another girl said. "I'm glad! Hi, Tsukiko's friends!"

One of the nurses on duty offered Tsukiko a smile and a wave the moment she noticed her. "You really like this place, don't you, Tsukiko?" She smiled. "I'm glad – the children really appreciate it too."

For a moment, Tsukiko hesitated, as if the presence of Nanami and Amane was giving her terrible stage fright. She glanced nervously in Nanami's direction, clearly monitoring the other girl for her reaction.

Nanami, of course, wasted no time in stepping in to help. "Tsukiko worked really hard to find us some good stories to share with you!" she said brightly. "I really hope you appreciate it!"

"Yeah!" Amane chimed in. "She's done so much on her own, we thought it was only fair to help her out!"

"You guys…" Tsukiko muttered. She really didn't deserve this at all. But _they_ did, she mused as she looked over the at the children present. They deserved all the hope and happiness a small thing like this was giving her and more. Forget what Sardonyx had taught her - she would rather listen to her heart right now. "That's right!" she said. "My friends wanted to protect my smile too! Just like I want to protect yours!"

And so, the three library committee members read to the small crowd in the waiting room. It was not as showy and organized of an affair as last time – there were no props, no costumes, and no real organization on the audience's part. Multiple children left for their exams or filtered into the rooms as the girls read to them, and numerous staff members occasionally paused to listen in. But it still had the same effect – most every child present was that much more at ease by the time the three were about finished.

There were so many radiant Roaring Sparks around the room, Tsukiko noted, sparkling and shining within the hearts of the children, their family members, and the staff. Were her siblings here, they would have likely seen a buffet of potential victims. But Tsukiko could not see this as anything but beautiful – a lovely miniature galaxy of hope and happiness. How could she have ever wanted to destroy such beauty?

Once the three girls had finally finished reading to the children, most everyone present broke into applause. Someone behind the three was applauding particularly loudly. The trio turned to find Bunko and Banri Kijima, the latter of which continued applauding long after most everyone else present had ceased, until Bunko gave him a puzzled look, finally prompting him to stop.

"Heh… sorry." Banri said sheepishly. "You guys were so good, I got carried away." He looked quizzically at Tsukiko. "Don't you have any more stories about Pretty Cure to share?"

A small buzz carried through the room once Banri mentioned Pretty Cure, drawing confused looks from parents, and downright puzzled looks from Nanami and Amane. It seemed quite a few children shared Banri's sentiment.

"You've been sharing stories about Pretty Cure?" Nanami asked Tsukiko.

Tsukiko felt her heart drop into her chest as she met Nanami's eyes. "They said they liked heroes, so... I remembered the rumored heroes in Seizato, and..." She averted her gaze as what little color there was in her face drained away. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be weird... everyone loved those stories and Pretty Cure so much, so..."

Nanami said nothing. She simply offered Tsukiko a reassuring smile and a gentle pat on the shoulder, gestures that made Tsukiko feel better and worse at the same time.

"Yeah, I think it's really cool that you've been doing that, Tsukiko!" Amane said. She turned to the children. "It's super neat that Tsukiko does this, right?"

"Yeah! Big sis is Pretty Cure's friend, so she's always got all kinds of cool stories about them!" a girl said.

"They're the heroes that protect our town!" a boy added. "They're fighting really hard to save everyone's hearts! That's so cool!"

"Tsukiko's got quite the imagination." another boy agreed. "It'd be so cool if heroes like that actually existed."

Banri narrowed his eyes at the boy who had just spoken. "You take that back!" he said. "Pretty Cure are definitely real!" The boy rolled his eyes in response. Banri huffed indignantly and turned to Bunko. "They saved one of your friends, didn't they, sis?"

Bunko shot Nanami and company an apologetic look before adding "Uh… Aiko did say something about that? Something about these two creepy weirdos attacking her and Aimi-chan at Nijiro's sports festival? And something about these two sparkly super-strong girls saving them, and… something?"

"Pretty Cure were at the sports festival?" Banri's eyes widened. "Tsukiko, did you know about this?"

A wave of similar questions was traveling around the waiting room now. Tsukiko, nodded, her gaze slowly traveling towards the ground all the while. Part of her wanted to leave, now that Nanami knew what she had been up to. But… but if she fled without warning, the children would think less of her, right? And... maybe she did want to remain with Nanami, even if she didn't deserve to. Just a little.

"You guys don't have to lie to make Banri feel better." Bunko said. "Aiko was pretty sure it was just a dream. It was too wild to be anything else. I've heard like, rumors, about Pretty Cure around Sorairo, but everyone says they've only seen them in their sleep too. They could be… a mass dream or whatever? A collective imaginary friend, I guess?"

Numerous children were staring at Bunko, looking the very picture of offended. She didn't seem to care… although she did deflate a bit once Banri got in on the offended staring.

"Pretty Cure really does sound too good to be true. A lot of stuff about them seems quite implausible, once you hear the rumors." Nanami said. She noted the crestfallen expressions around the room and added "But it's not that simple. Not at all! Strange as it may seem, Pretty Cure is definitely real!" She lowered her voice a half-step and added "Kijima-san, would it be alright if the three of us stepped out with Banri for a little while?"

Bunko looked rather caught off-guard by the genuinely friendly tone Nanami had just used. "Um… sure?" she finally replied after a moment of stunned silence and a few seconds of confused blinking. "But only if Banri is okay with it."

"I'm totally okay with it." Banri said. He also lowered his voice a bit before adding "You're a friend of Pretty Cure too, aren't you?"

Nanami smiled. "I suppose you could say that."

* * *

Amane still looked as if she was walking on air long after the three library committee members and Banri stepped outside, Nanami wheeling Banri around the outside perimeter of the hospital while Amane and Tsukiko followed.

"I can't believe this." she said. "You guys are actually friends with Pretty Cure?" Nanami and Tsukiko exchanged glances before both nodded in unison. Amane looked like she was going to pass out. "You two are way too amazing!"

"You believe in Pretty Cure too?" Banri asked, staring quizzically up at Amane.

"Yup!" Amane chirped. "They saved me once! Actually, I think I was one of the first people they saved! So… I can brag about that much."

Tsukiko looked down at her feet as Amane spoke. If Amane knew Tsukiko was the 'monster' that had attacked her that day, there was no way she would want her around.

"I'm glad." Banri said. "I mean, not that you got attacked, but that there was someone to save you!"

"Don't worry, I totally got that." Amane said. "What I remember was really scary, but… it's nice, knowing there are people like that. People who will fight to protect you."

"It really does help." Banri sighed morosely, staring up at the vivid blue sky. "I have a really bad heart, so I'm in and out of the hospital a lot. It stresses Sis out a ton, and I know it worries the rest of my family too. And… I try to be strong, so they won't worry more, but sometimes…" He trailed off uncomfortable as his eyes teared up.

Nanami brought Banri's wheelchair to a gentle stop near a man-made pond on the hospital premises. "It's alright." she said gently, once Banri had finally collected himself a little. "It is terribly frightening, facing something far bigger than yourself every day. It must be a bit like the fear the Pretty Cure feel every time they have to fight."

Banri looked up at Nanami, his eyes wet with tears. "Pretty Cure gets scared?"

Nanami nodded. "That's right. Even if they fight with all their hearts, there are still times when they are afraid. Times when they find themselves thinking 'Can we really win?' or 'What if we never see our loved ones again?' Sometimes, it's hard even for heroes to stay strong in the face of danger."

"But, if they gave up, they would let a lot of people down." Tsukiko said without thinking. "Kind of like the people working here. I'm sure it gets scary for the people working here too. But because they keep fighting, there are a lot of people who still live. No matter how hopeless the battle seems, it's worth fighting to save others." She looked aside before adding "That's how I feel, anyway."

"That sounds right to me." Banri said. "Maybe that's how I should look at things when I'm scared." He smiled tearfully at Tsukiko. "You'd make a great doctor. You've got the right attitude for it."

Tsukiko blinked in surprise. "Ah… really? Medical stuff is kind of interesting, but..." She looked away, her eyes darkening a bit. "I don't know if someone like me could do such a thing."

"I think you could be a wonderful doctor, if that's what you choose to do, Tsukiko." Nanami drew another look of surprise from the maroon-haired girl. "I can definitely see where Banri is coming from." She laughed quietly. "That is _quite_ a way away, but it is nice to have plans for the future."

"I guess it is." said Tsukiko. "I've never really thought about my future. Or even thinking about what I want to do. It's always been about what my sister wants."

"It is hard." Banri said. "And I get it. I don't like thinking about my future either." He fell silent from there, wordlessly prompting Nanami to resume the group's walk. Everyone traveled in slightly awkward silence for a few minutes before he finally spoke up again. "It's nice to know friends of Pretty Cure. I was getting sick of people telling me they weren't real. They believe in all of us, right? It's only fair to believe in them."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that." Nanami said. "Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo are happy just knowing they're able to save others. They don't concern themselves with recognition. But… I'm sure they would appreciate the sentiment, Banri." She hummed thoughtfully. "Oh, I know! What if I asked the Pretty Cure to take some photos? That would help, right?"

Banri's eyes lit up. "Really?" he asked as he stared up at Nanami and the others. "You'd really do something like that for me?"

"But of course!" Nanami said. "Those two are usually pretty secretive – but there is no way that they would dare refuse a request like that! They'd definitely want to protect your smile, Banri!"

Now it was Banri's turn to look like he was about to pass out. "I can't believe this." he said. "You're gonna get pictures of Pretty Cure! Oh my gosh… there are so many questions I'd like to ask them too… later, maybe? I'm sure they're too busy for photos _and_ interviews... but it'd be okay in the future, right?"

Nanami and Tsukiko exchanged glances before both girls nodded in unison. "I think so." they chorused before looking aside and laughing.

"Sheesh, you two." Amane said. "But… it is super-exciting! I don't think anyone has seen Pretty Cure that clearly before! You're really lucky, Banri-kun!"

Banri's Roaring Spark was shining quite brightly, Tsukiko noted as the group continued onwards, chatting amiably on their way back to the hospital. It could be used to create an Utsuroid right here and now. Were Yuu here, she would likely be telling her to stop dallying and get to it. Were Hisao here, he would likely back Yuu up and remind Tsukiko that the three of them had nothing else but this. That wherever she went, no matter how she felt or thought, she could never escape her destiny as a Void Clan member.

Well, it was good her older siblings weren't here, wasn't it? Because Tsukiko was not going to attack Banri. Tsukiko was never going to attack Banri. This was her first little rebellion before…

…well, leaving the Void Clan was not an option. Not at present. Not until she won over her siblings. She would not dare go anywhere without her brother and sister. But she could not continue like this. She wanted to be someone else. She needed to figure out what she wanted to be.

Being a healer did sound like a long shot, but perhaps she could grow into that kind of person over time, Tsukiko decided as the group returned to the hospital. She could not take any of what she had done back, but perhaps she could work to be better. And perhaps... perhaps she could convince her siblings to do the same. It was a nice notion, even if she was not entirely confident in it at present.

* * *

Shopping for swimsuits had been quite an experience. Kohaku had looked really nice herself in the sporty orange and yellow two-piece that Tsubasa had helped her pick out. Her partner had been rather self-conscious about wearing such a thing, given her tiny collection of training scars, but once Nanami had pointed out how impressive she had looked, and how well the swimsuit suited her figure, she had decided to wear it with pride. And pointed out that Nanami's glasses had fogged up just a little bit, that too.

Kohaku was every bit as flustered as Nanami was, mind – her ears were still burning a little, thinking about how nice Nanami had looked in the floral one piece she had selected. Her partner looked like a lovely oceanside flower. Thinking about how happy Nanami would be – and how much fun the two of them could have together on the beach - made it far easier to look forwards to this vacation.

Any lingering flusterment from swimsuit shopping and excitement for the weekend vacation promptly dissipated once the Cures and Tsubasa exited the clothing store, bags in hand, and regrouped with Sirius. There was an uncomfortable aura in the air, along with a disconcerting number of crows populating the shopping district. Many were watching the group with keen, beady eyes, and still more were scouring the area for shiny objects.

"She doesn't know when to quit." Kohaku said darkly. "At least we've recovered the Lunar Medallion. No matter how hard Tourmaline and the others try, we'll be three to one against them." She cast a quizzical glance Sirius' way. "How will we know who it belongs to anyway?"

"Oh, that's very, very simple." Sirius said. "The Lunar Medallion will choose its rightful owner, just like the Blossom and Tempest Medallions chose you two. The Roaring Medallions are naturally drawn towards strong and just hearts, yes, yes."

"Ah, really?" Kohaku looked genuinely surprised by that one. "I thought they just chose us because Nanami and I were in danger."

"My, that seems so far away now." Nanami said. "But… that does make perfect sense, Siri." She paused, her expression growing pensive. They had been quite close to Tsukiko when they had found the Medallion, hadn't they? "After all, Kohaku and I would not have been able to get this far without strength of heart."

"So, there will be three of you guys soon?" Tsubasa asked. "That should make things a bit easier." She grinned. "Let me know when you've found your third member - I'll give her a hero's discount on coffee!" She paused to stretch and yawn before adding "Anyway… now that we got the swimsuit business knocked out, we should head to the arcade, right? Wouldn't want to break a promise."

Kohaku frowned uncomfortably. "I'm still not sure about this, Nanami." she said. "I know it's to help a sick kid, but… you said Tsukiko is involved in this, right?"

"That's right." Nanami said. "The two of us are working together to help him. As far as I can tell, her intentions are good."

"If we're right about those two, then you can't afford to be too careful, Nanami." Kohaku said. "It could easily be a set-up. Or a means to his heart. Remember that business with Aozora-sensei?"

Tsubasa did a double take. "Wait, what happened with Meg?

"It's nothing!" Nanami squeaked. "Nothing important anymore, anyway!" That said, she promptly changed the subject. "If you're worried, can come along with us, Kohaku. I would feel better having you along anyway. Just as I feel better having Tsubasa with us on the island."

"Hey, it wouldn't be right to make Haruno-san wrangle so many kids alone." said Tsubasa, who didn't look entirely reassured by Nanami's words. "And if Hoshikawa-san and the twins are coming with, well… can't say I trust him that much either. Plus, Meg said she'll help me recoup the loss from two days missed. So, you're stuck with me, for better or worse."

"That means a lot to me, hearing that." Kohaku said as she nodded to Nanami and Tsubasa in turn. "On both counts. She cast one last leery glance towards the crows before she sighed and looked away. "Well, we'd better knock these photos out." She grinned at Nanami. "Let's take some great ones together!"

"With pleasure!" Nanami said.

There were not many people in the arcade at this hour, putting Nanami and Kohaku at little risk of being caught while they were using the print club booth. Still, Tsubasa made a point of standing guard in front of said booth as her charges transformed into Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo and proceeded to take a long string of selfies. Judging by the giggling and excited chatter that was issuing from within said booth, they were having the time of their lives doing so.

Tsubasa had zero complaints about any of this. So what if she was getting a couple funny looks from the tiny handful of remaining arcade patrons? Her charges were doing a good deed for and a ton of fun while they were at it. That mattered far more than her own silly pride. When Nanami and Kohaku had emerged from the print club booth, each holding a selection of selfies as if they had found the holy grail, Tsubasa decided she couldn't feel any prouder of them if she tried.

"I can't believe this." Tsubasa said as the group emerged from the arcade, looking over Nanami's shoulder at the photos she and Kohaku had taken. "We've finally captured Pretty Cure on film. And they look great!" She grinned approvingly. "You two look like you had a lot of fun."

"We certainly did!" Nanami replied. "I can't wait to show Banri! And of course, Tsukiko will be happy to know we came through for her as well."

Kohaku was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "You know, I never had a chance to appreciate how pretty you are as Delphinus, Nanami."

Nanami's glasses fogged right back up again. "My… thank you, Kohaku!" she said. "You cut quite a handsome figure as Leo, for what it's worth?"

Kohaku turned beet red. "You're too kind." she muttered. "But… thanks. Either way, we're a beautiful pair." Did that sound weird? She hoped that didn't sound weird.

"That we are." said Nanami, who clearly didn't think it sounded weird at all. "I'm so glad to hear that, Kohaku!"

And the Illuster refugees and their guardian departed from the shopping district, their every move followed by the keen eyes of the many crows in the area… and the lightless gold eyes of Tourmaline, who watched the group from her perch atop a neighboring building.

"Hm? What does Selenite need with such things?" As Tourmaline spoke, a crow deposited another shiny object into her hand. She tossed it aside without a second glance. If it wasn't burning her, she had no use for it. "And why would Pretty Cure...?"

Part of Tourmaline wanted to believe that her sister really was trying to make up for her earlier slip-ups. Perhaps whatever business she was helping Pretty Cure with was an elaborate set-up on her part. Perhaps she had wised up after the two's altercation, and she was going to prepare a beautiful offering of negative energy for Sardonyx. Perhaps…

Tourmaline frowned in consternation, even as she coolly discarded several more well-intentioned but ultimately very worthless crow gifts, to a chorus of disapproving caws. She couldn't quite believe that. For now, she would give Selenite the benefit of the doubt. But from the look of things, it might behoove her to keep an eye on her sister's activity in the future.

* * *

According to the receptionist on duty, Tsukiko was already visiting with Banri when Nanami and Kohaku arrived at Seizato general that afternoon. Indeed, when a nurse escorted the Cures to his hospital room, they found Tsukiko seated by his bed, with Banri propped up in it. The pair seemed to have been conversing for quite some time.

"Doctor Rallis said I'm recovering quicker than they thought." Banri was informing Tsukiko. "I might be able to go home in a few days!"

"I'm glad!" Tsukiko said. "I hope you get to go home soon! And that I'm helping you, of course."

"Don't worry, you're definitely helping." Banri said. "Between you being here and knowing Pretty Cure is fighting to protect me, it's easier to fight this. Even the doctors say I'm recovering more quickly than usual." He grinned brightly. "You really are a healer type, Tsukiko."

That was Nanami's cue to knock gently on the doorframe, sending Banri and Tsukiko, the latter of whom tensed up a bit at the sight of Kohaku's presence, sitting up at attention.

"I hope we're not interrupting anything." Nanami said as she and Kohaku stepped into the room.

"You're not!" Banri said. He looked quizzically at the large envelope that Nanami was holding, before glancing towards Kohaku. "Huh? Did you guys...?"

"That's right." Kohaku said. "I'm also a friend of Pretty Cure. Nanami's my best friend, so she made sure to introduce me to them." She looked over at the still visibly tense Tsukiko. She didn't look like she was up to anything, but a good bodyguard was not supposed to write off a potential threat that easily. "I heard you've been a frequent sight over here."

Tsukiko tried her best to swallow her nervousness, lest she upset Banri. She didn't quite make it. "That's right." she said quietly. "I've been volunteering at Seizato General a lot. Mostly, I just read to the younger patients, but Banri told me there are… outreach programs, I think? Maybe I'll do one of those soon."

Kohaku's demeanor softened a bit as she offered Tsukiko her best attempt at an approving smile. It was enough to make Tsukiko relax slightly. That was good. Even if Kohaku didn't really trust either of the twins, she still wasn't comfortable seeing Tsukiko this distressed.

"I'm very proud of you, Tsukiko!" Nanami said. "Keep up the good work!" Then, to Banri "And of course, I am not one to go back on a promise… and neither are those two. I hope this is to your liking, Banri!"

Nanami handed the large envelope to Banri before prompting him to open it. Within was a lovingly composed collage of the myriad selfies that Delphinus and Leo had taken together, mounted on soft pink poster board with white lace trim and sparkling pink and orange decorations. Said photographs were arranged in the shape of a heart, around a 'We're cheering for you, Banri! Please never give up!' written in Sirius' elegant script with metallic silver pen.

Banri was silent for a few moments as he took in the sight of the collage with quivering eyes. Suddenly, he broke down crying.

Tsukiko stared at Banri in alarm. "Did we do something wrong?"

Banri shook his head. "N-not at all!" he said. "I'm just… I'm just so glad you guys would go out of your way for me like this! And that I have proof that Pretty Cure is real!" He grinned tearfully at Tsukiko. "I knew you weren't a liar! I just knew it!"

As Banri continued sobbing in joy, Tsukiko found her hand traveling to her heart. It felt satisfied in a way that it never had when she had carried out Sardonyx's orders. Maybe this really was who she could be. A healer.

"You should thank Nanami and Kohaku too!" Tsukiko smiled warmly at the pair. "Thank you so much! You two really are my friends."

"As are you, Tsukiko." Nanami said. "I'm cheering for you too, alright?"

Kohaku still seemed less at ease around Tsukiko than her partner was. Nevertheless, Tsukiko noticed the taller girl looked just a bit less leery of her now.

Moments after Banri had gathered himself enough to properly thank Nanami and Kohaku for the photos, a nurse had entered the room and escorted a reluctant Banri away for another examination. Tsukiko and Pretty Cure were now left to their own devices. Part of Tsukiko wanted to leave and perhaps try and track down Yuu. Better that than hang around Pretty Cure.

But...another part of Tsukiko decided she had to try, and that was the part that won out. After all, running away from the Cures was something the old Tsukiko, the one who passively acted out her role and never, ever did anything to step outside of it, would have done.

"Do you guys want to stay a bit longer?" Tsukiko asked. "I want to look into this place's volunteer program. If that's okay with you two, of course."

As of now, Tsukiko decided as she conversed with Nanami and Kohaku, she was reborn. Today was the day she began to figure out who she was in earnest. And from there, it was only a matter of time until she inspired her siblings to do the same. She would like to think that way for now

* * *

Tsukiko felt her heart's horizons continue to expand over the next few days. She still made a point of checking up on Banri, who was recovering wonderfully, during her visits to Seizato General, and she still read to the hospital's younger patients. But the hospital's volunteer program had presented her with so many other options as well. They were always looking for people to offer emotional support to families of patients, organize its picture book collections, and help maintain its main and rooftop gardens.

One day, Tsukiko learned, she would be old enough to help attend to the patients in the wards too, should she choose to do that. But for now, she already had a wealth of options at her fingertips. "There are so many things you would excel at, Tsukiko." Nanami had told her. "With your kindness and dedication, you would be a great help to everyone here." Even if Tsukiko still did not feel deserving of Nanami's kindness, the princess' words still meant the world to her.

Expanding her horizons at the hospital certainly took a great deal of weight off of Tsukiko's mind. It nearly made her forget her fear that Kohaku was waiting for her to do something wrong whenever she and Pretty Cure were together. It nearly made her forget how lonely and miserable she felt when she returned home to that nameless kingdom. And it nearly made her forget how empty she felt without Yuu by her side.

Tsukiko and Yuu still interacted, mind. But it was not the same. Yuu only made the most cursory attempts at interacting with her during school hours. It was barely better when the two were in the nameless kingdom – Yuu seemed to care more about training or hunting for the last Roaring Medallion than bothering with her siblings, and when she did speak to Tsukiko, it was only to ask her about prospective targets.

Part of Tsukiko wanted to get Yuu to open up. She missed having anything beyond a shallow conversation with her sister. But another part of Tsukiko was afraid that Yuu would be angry at her for approaching her, try to stop Tsukiko from finding herself, or both. Thus, she tried her best to put how lonely she felt without her twin out of her mind.

Tsukiko might have been able to put Yuu out of her mind, if only in short bursts, but Yuu could not do that with Tsukiko. Her sister's odd behavior was troubling her greatly. She had noticed how her twin beelined straight for Seizato General most every time school had let out. She had noticed how much friendlier Tsukiko and Pretty Cure seemed to be with one another. She noticed how Tsukiko kept using her siblings' human aliases, even when they weren't on Earth.

And she noticed how much… lighter Tsukiko seemed. Yuu felt troubled seeing Tsukiko drift further and further away from her. Tsukiko didn't seem to be as affected. In fact, Yuu began to worry, Tsukiko might have actually been happier without her. As if Yuu had been dragging her down all along.

Maybe she really had been a liability in Tsukiko's eyes, Yuu found herself thinking as she watched Tsukiko and Amane chatter about Pretty Cure in glowing terms before homeroom. Maybe Tsukiko really had resented her all along. Or maybe the influence of this world was corrupting her sister. And in that case, that was her failure, wasn't it? If she had just refused more firmly back then…

Yuu had her own worries on that front. The older twin had not been spending much time with Irene as of late. That was of no benefit to her side mission but hanging around the younger girl was making her feel increasingly torn up inside. Between that and whatever was going on with Tsukiko, it was better to just focus on looking for targets and the Soaring Medallion, lest she end up imploding.

And whatever was going on with Tsukiko most certainly had nothing to do with Sardonyx's goals. The day the sisters' gems had fully recharged brought no news of any promising targets from Tsukiko with it. Factor in how secretive her twin had been, and it was clear that something distinctly non-productive was going on.

Yuu ended up getting her answer when she accompanied Tsukiko to Shooting Star that afternoon. Her sister had been absolutely insistent on bringing her along. Yuu had accepted, of course. She had nothing better to do. And maybe she would finally figure out what Tsukiko was up to.

At first, Tsukiko had been rather halting and awkward around Yuu. But soon, she was eagerly attempting small talk – what did Yuu plan to order, what was her favorite flavor of coffee, did she want some sweets to go with the coffee, had she given any more thought to the island vacation, did she want to go accessory shopping with her later...

Part of Yuu was glad that Tsukiko was actually speaking to her, but the other part was annoyed with her sister for wasting her time. The two of them knew full well that Tsukiko was hiding something from her, and that this string of meaningless questions was accomplishing nothing outside of giving her a headache.

Yuu was on the edge of telling Tsukiko to cut to the chase and tell her what she was doing, when a rather loudly-dressed man approached the twins' table.

"Oh, funny running into you here, Hoshikawa-san! Thanks for the good work the other day!" said Ayumu Rallis, who shot a beaming smile to the suddenly flustered-looking Tsukiko. He turned his attentions to Yuu and added "And there's a new _and_ familiar face! You must be the twin sister she's always talking about!"

Yuu blinked in surprise. Tsukiko was… talking about her? Probably about how much of a socially-inept burden she was, that ugly part of her mind asserted, and the way Tsukiko had shifted uncomfortably in her chair seemed to confirm that.

"That's right." Yuu said between sips of her latte. "Yuu Hoshikawa. Pleased to meet you." She quirked an eyebrow at Ayumu. "What do you mean by 'work', exactly?"

"Oh, your sister's been an avid volunteer at the hospital I work at. We're all really fond of her." said Ayumu like the useful idiot he was. Then, to Tsukiko "I'll see what I can do about you shadowing me sometimes, Hoshikawa-san. Your sister can come with too, if she's interested?"

Yuu shook her head. "Sorry. I have better things to do." she said bluntly. As Ayumu departed after one last friendly farewell, she looked at Tsukiko, her visible eye glinting. "So, that's what you've been up to. I was wondering why you've been so distant."

Tsukiko looked terribly apologetic. "I was trying to give you space, and I… at first I was trying to distract myself, but then one thing led to another, and, I-"

"It's fine." Yuu said, knowing full well it wasn't. "You don't need to explain." Or rather, she wasn't sure she wanted to hear it. "Only results matter, Tsukiko. And I'm certain that you've already found an ideal target at that hospital – or perhaps several? A house of the sick has to be a hotbed for strong Roaring Sparks."

Tsukiko felt the temperature around her drop a few degrees as Yuu spoke. She thought of the going-away present she and Pretty Cure had assembled for Banri, who was leaving tomorrow. She thought of the radiant Roaring Spark that Banri had possessed. And she thought of how Yuu would almost certainly deal with this situation and felt her heart sink into her stomach.

"I suppose it is." Tsukiko said quietly. "But I have no intention of-"

Yuu smiled. It was not a friendly smile. But it was not malicious either, Tsukiko realized. It was desperate.

"If you've lost your nerve, then I'll do it." Yuu said. "You've already played your part wonderfully, Tsukiko. I can take it from here."

"If you say so, Yuu." Tsukiko said hollowly. She knew what her sister was trying to do, and it made her feel sick. And here she was, folding to her yet again, just so Yuu would stop being mad at her. The Lunar Medallion really did have terrible taste. "I guess we're going together, then?"

Tsukiko felt so weak and pathetic, expecting Pretty Cure to bail her out yet again. But right now? She had no idea what else she could do, short of risk another fight with her twin.

"Of course." Yuu said. "And we'll pull off a victory against Pretty Cure this time. The two of us are always of one mind, after all."

Yuu did not try to sound convinced of this. And Tsukiko did not pretend to believe it. There was no point in trying. Not anymore.

* * *

Tsukiko had planned to meet up with Nanami and Kohaku the next afternoon in order to see Banri off. But she never showed up, even after a good half hour spent waiting outside the train station. By the time the two finally boarded their train, gifts for Banri in hand, Nanami had grown terribly worried about Tsukiko, and Kohaku was clearly more than a little on edge.

"I feel terrible for this, but it wouldn't be fair to make Banri wait this long." Nanami told Kohaku as the two rode the train to downtown Seizato. "I would like to hope Tsukiko just went ahead of us, but…"

Kohaku frowned. "I know you believe in those two, but they're likely our enemies, Nanami." she said quietly. "It pains me to say this, but I won't drop my guard around Tsukiko, just because her intentions seem good."

"I understand." Nanami said gently. "I don't think I'm wrong for believing in the twins. But I don't think you're wrong for being vigilant either, Kohaku. Either way, I would like to think we're a bit closer to resolving things with those two."

"I wish I shared your optimism, Nanami." Kohaku sighed. "I really do."

Banri was in the hospital lobby when the Cures arrived, along with his parents and Bunko. The moment he saw Nanami and Kohaku, his eyes lit up.

"See, I told you they'd show up!" Banri triumphantly informed Bunko before he eagerly wheeled himself towards Nanami and Kohaku. "It's good to see you two again! But… where's Tsukiko? She said she'd be here."

Kohaku smiled nervously. "I'm sure she's just running late. In the meantime, Nanami and I made some gifts for you?" She handed him a small bag tied with a gold ribbon. Within was a collection of frosted sugar cookies, some decorated in the form of pink flowers and some in the form of orange diamonds. "Hope you like them."

"I also prepared something for you, Banri." Nanami gave Banri a small gift bag. Within was a small hand-embroidered cream-colored sachet, with a pink dolphin and an orange lion on the front. "I hope this is to your liking."

Banri looked nothing short of over the moon. "Thank you so much!" He turned to the rest of his family, grinning ear to ear. "Look what they made for me!"

"Well, look at that!" Banri's father said. "You girls really went above and beyond for Banri, didn't you?"

"It sure seems that way." Bunko said. She motioned Nanami towards her. Once the princess was sufficiently close, she lowered her voice a bit. "I owe you and Shishioh-san one, Nagisa-san. Thanks. For like, everything." She cast a glance towards Banri, who was eagerly chatting back and forth with Kohaku and added "Those photos were really nice? Like, those outfits? That makeup? I'm in awe. And all so you wouldn't let him down. I was like, super-unfair to you."

"Ah… thank you?" said Nanami, who was unsure how she felt about any of what Bunko had just said. "But it would be unfair to take all the credit for helping Banri - Tsukiko also deserves your thanks, Kijima-san."

"Well, we'd best be going." Banri's mother informed her son. "It wouldn't be right to waste this beautiful day in a place like this."

Banri shook his head. "Not yet." he said. "I want to wait a bit longer for Tsukiko. I don't think it'd be fair to her if I just left now."

As if on cue, Tsukiko suddenly stepped into the hospital lobby, holding a large envelope to her chest. She had lost much of the light in her eyes and spring in her step that had been there before. The reason for this quickly became clear, as Yuu followed right after her. If Tsukiko seemed downcast, Yuu might as well have brought her own personal storm cloud with her.

"Tsukiko!" Banri exclaimed. He eagerly wheeled towards the younger twin and leaned towards her, prompting her to give him a tight, if awkward hug. "I'm so glad I waited for you." he told her… before looking quizzically at Yuu, who was staring fixedly at him. "And you must be Yuu! Tsukiko's told me all about you!"

"Has she now?" Yuu said coolly. Her visible eye glinted momentarily as she continued to stare him down, a sight that sent ice into Tsukiko's stomach.

"Yup!" said Banri. "She says you're great with animals, and that she wishes she was as dedicated as you were! I wanted to meet you for a while now!"

Yuu looked genuinely shocked at this. She looked from Banri to Tsukiko and back again, the corner of her lip twitching. A surge of unnecessary emotion welled within her. She did her best to swallow it down. She had no time for this.

"I see." said Yuu. "I wish we could stay, but Tsukiko and I have somewhere we need to be. Sorry, everyone." She offered an apologetic bow to Nanami… and a pointed glance towards Kohaku, who couldn't look less suspicious if she tried.

"Right… we really should be going soon." Tsukiko said. She knew full well what Yuu was about to pull. She knew what her role in this was supposed to be. She needed to do something about it, but what? "But before that..." She handed the envelope to Banri. "I hope this is okay."

Banri opened the envelope to find a lovingly hand-made picture book. The story concerned a group of animals who banded together to help a prince who had been placed under a curse, and how the prince helped the animals in return when they were in need. The story had been written by one Amane Yamaguchi, as the cover proudly proclaimed, while the bright and detailed illustrations, which had been drawn with colored pencils, had been created by Tsukiko.

"Oh my!" Nanami said. "So, that's the secret project Amane kept talking about! It's beautiful, Tsukiko!"

"Thanks." Tsukiko replied. She barely met Nanami's eyes. "I wish Yamaguchi-san wasn't too busy to be here, but it can't be helped."

Banri stared at the picture book for a few moments before he burst into tears of joy and pulled Tsukiko into another hug. When the two parted once more, he wiped his eyes on his shirt sleeve. "I'm really gonna miss you." He smiled sadly. "Until my next stay here, anyway."

"Hey, don't talk so negatively!" Tsukiko said. "There won't be a next time for a long time! I won't believe otherwise!" She noticed the clear 'hurry it up' stare Yuu was giving her. An idea suddenly took root in her mind. It would be a long shot, but… "Besides, we can still hang out! So... bye for now, Banri. I'm glad we met!"

Before anyone present could say anything more, Tsukiko hurried to Yuu's side… and half-led, half-dragged her in the direction of the hospital's main gardens. As the twins departed, Tsukiko's gaze met Nanami and Kohaku's. For a moment, the younger twin looked just a bit pleading. And then the two were gone, leaving Pretty Cure alone with the Kijima family.

"Something tells me we shouldn't stray too far." Kohaku said quietly as the twins took off. "Or let our guard down."

"I completely agree." Nanami said quietly.

She wanted to believe that Tsukiko's intentions were nothing but pure, but the uncomfortable aura that Yuu had brought with her was not something that she could ignore.

* * *

Tsukiko could feel Yuu's gaze boring into her as she led her sister towards the hospital's main gardens. She knew her twin was not happy about this… and she also knew that Yuu would not allow herself to object with this many people around, lest she draw unwanted attention. Shad no issue exploiting that at present.

Finally, the sisters arrived in the hospital's main gardens, which were located in the building's center. The entire place was gorgeous to behold, between its carefully arranged flower beds, the sound of gentle birdsong in the air, the myriad animals darting about, the variety of animal sculptures, and the sun dappling the area with beautiful patterns of light.

Now was Tsukiko's cue to let go of Yuu's hand. She did not look towards her sister as she drank in the sight of the gardens. She had been here several times now, but they never failed to impress.

"Aren't they amazing? I've been helping to care for them." She kept her eyes on the gardens and away from Yuu. If she looked at her sister, she would surely lose her nerve. "Doctor Rallis told me that the beauty of nature can help patients heal. When I said I had a nature-loving sister, he told me I should take you here."

Yuu said nothing, but Tsukiko could feel her sister fuming behind her. She still kept going.

"A hospital is a house of the sick. But the people here are so warm, and they value life so much. Even if life is fleeting and fragile, and even if they can't save everyone, they still think it's worth fighting for." She turned to Yuu, her eyes wet with tears. "Just like I do! And just like you must as well! If they don't see fleeting things as worthless, why should we?"

Yuu narrowed her eyes at Tsukiko. "What does any of this have to do with that boy's Roaring Spark?"

"I don't care about Banri's Roaring Spark!" Tsukiko snapped. "And neither should you, Yuu. Can't we just end this already?"

"I knew this was going to happen." Yuu said darkly. "You've always been so soft-hearted, Selenite. It was only a matter of time before you got attached to this world." She shook her head sadly. "It doesn't matter how you feel about the lifeforms here. It has nothing to do with us. We are meant to be harbingers of silence. Unlike you, I have never forgotten-"

"Would you _stop?!_ "

Yuu stared in shock at Tsukiko. Her mouth worked, but nothing came out.

"You can't fool your own twin, Yuu!" Tsukiko said. "Do you think I don't notice how much you care about Irene? How lonely you look when we're at school? How at ease you are when you're caring for animals? You say you can't feel, but you do! You say you can throw away your life for Lady Sardonyx, but you can't! You say there's no doubts in your heart, but there are!"

Yuu was silent for some time. For a moment, Tsukiko feared her sister might lash out at her, run away, or both, but finally Yuu spoke, a hint of strain in her heretofore emotionless tone.

"I wish we had just remained like we were, Selenite. That 'Yuu and Tsukiko Hoshikawa' never existed. Then you wouldn't be so attached to this world and I wouldn't be saddled with these unnecessary feelings."

"They aren't unnecessary!" Tsukiko snapped.

"Yes, they are!" Yuu fired back. "Whenever Irene treats me kindly, I can feel something inside of me breaking! When I spend time in places like this, I find myself wishing I didn't have to ruin them! When I see you enjoying yourself on Earth, some part of me really is jealous of you!" She looked away sharply. "If this keeps going, I'll become useless to Lady Sardonyx!"

"Is that so terrible?" Tsukiko asked. "Volunteering at the hospital, learning about medicine, bonding with the staff here… those aren't useful to Lady Sardonyx either. But they're useful to me. They're what I want to do. What about you, Yuu? What do you want to do?"

Yuu looked genuinely taken aback by that question. "What do I want to do?"

For a moment, Yuu thought of the animals of this world. She thought of the people Irene had told her about, the people who fought so hard to protect and care for nature. She imagined a world where she didn't have to sacrifice Irene. A world where she and Irene could protect the lives of animals together.

And then she thought of Sardonyx - how happy she felt every time Sardonyx was proud of her, how hurt Sardonyx would be if she and her siblings betrayed her, and how Sardonyx had...

 _"I can still count on you to bring my beautiful world of silence to fruition, can't I, Tourmaline?"_

Yuu tightened her fist as her gaze grew steely. "I want to usher in Lady Sardonyx's world of silence. That is the only thing we should want, Selenite."

"Yuu, please don't-!"

" _Tourmaline!_ It's Tourmaline! There's no need to use those fake names here!" Yuu snapped. "Face reality, Selenite! Even if it's painful, we exist to bring about Sardonyx's world! We can't be anything else! After all she has done for us... what right do we have to turn our backs on her?"

"What right do we have to take everyone's future away, _Yuu?_ " Tsukiko's voice caught slightly as her eyes began to water. "What right do we have to make a judgment on everyone's lives? What right do you have to take someone else's sister away?"

Yuu turned away sharply from Tsukiko. "Fine, then." she said bitterly. "If you're going to be like this, then go, Selenite. You're happier without a socially-inept burden like me, right? And I will be just fine on my own."

Tsukiko shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous, Yuu." she said. "It doesn't matter how different we are, or what we believe, or... or any of it! You're still my precious sister! I would never dream of abandoning you! Just like you would never turn your back on me!"

Yuu said nothing, but she was stunned enough for Tsukiko to feel secure in approaching her.

"I want to live in this world with my strange and aloof twin sister and my spacey and carefree big brother." Tsukiko took Yuu's hands, gently clasping them in her own. "I want the three of us to create a new future together." As Yuu, still teary-eyed met her gaze, she continued. "And it doesn't have to mean abandoning Lady Sardonyx! If we can convince her to cooperate with Pretty Cure, then surely, the Kingdom of Crystals will-"

Yuu suddenly averted her gaze. "Stop it..."

Tsukiko stared at her sister in confusion. "Yuu?"

Yuu sharply jerked away from her sister, sending Tsukiko reeling backwards. "I said stop it, Tsukiko!"

For a moment, both sisters looked far too to do or say anything. And then Yuu bolted towards the gardens' entrance like a girl pursued.

"Yuu, wait!"

Yuu did not wait. She kept running as quickly as her legs could carry her, towards the Roaring Spark she was supposed to be harvesting and as far away from her sister as humanly possible. If she remained with Tsukiko for even a second longer, she might... she might actually end up...

 _My life for you, Lady Sardonyx!_ she reminded herself over and over as she fled in desperation. _I won't forget that! I can't forget that!_

* * *

Kohaku didn't want to have her suspicions validated. She did not trust the sisters, especially Yuu, but she also knew how much Nanami wanted to believe in them. The thought of the pain that her partner would suffer when (if?) they let her down made her heart hurt. She wished she was wrong about them being their enemies, just so Nanami wouldn't be hurt further.

When Tsukiko came tearing towards the Cures, who were waiting in front of the hospital, having just seen Banri off, all Kohaku could feel was a sinking sense of disappointment. Kohaku knew what was likely coming, from what she had seen of Yuu and Tsukiko's behavior. Judging by the way Nanami's face had fallen, she suspected her partner did as well.

"Where is Banri?" Tsukiko asked. She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"He just left with his family." Nanami said. "I believe they were headed to the ice cream parlor near here."

Tsukiko nodded. "We need to hurry, then!" She caught herself there, her mind frantically flailing around for a way to explain herself. "I mean… there was something I… we-"

Nanami raised a hand, cutting Tsukiko off. "It's alright." she said gently. "The ice cream parlor is not too far from here – if we're quick about it, we can easily catch up with him."

"After our training camp, that's nothing for the three of us." Kohaku said. She smiled thinly at Tsukiko – she might not have entirely trusted her, but her intentions did at least seem to be good. "Are you two ready?"

"Of course!" Nanami said.

"Same…" Tsukiko said. "So, come on! We need to hurry!"

 _Please, wait for me, Banri!_ Tsukiko thought as she and the Cures took off running towards the ice cream parlor. _We'll make sure to save you!_

* * *

Yuu was balanced on the roof of a building in downtown Seizato. From here, she had a clear birds-eye view of the Kijima family, who were currently seated outside in front of a fancy-looking ice cream parlor and amiably chatting with one another over frozen treats. More specifically, she had a clear view of Banri Kijima's brilliantly shining Roaring Spark. The one her sister had deliberately failed to go after. The one she wasn't 'supposed' to take.

For a moment, Yuu could feel herself hesitating, as Tsukiko's words looped around in her mind. Her sister wouldn't want her to target this boy. Her sister wanted to live in this world and help the people there. Her sister didn't want either of them to carry out Sardonyx's mission anymore. Her sister would be so unhappy if…

"Who cares?" Yuu hissed under her breath as she tightened her fist. "Selenite is a fool! Selenite has always been a fool!"

Yuu didn't care about this boy. Yuu didn't care about this world. Yuu didn't care about her own future. Yuu didn't care about her siblings' future. All that mattered was Sardonyx's happiness. All that would ever matter was Sardonyx's happiness!

The elder Hoshikawa twin's form trembled with barely-suppressed rage as a strong wind kicked up around her.

"I am…"

The beauty of nature was useless. The happiness and safety of the animals of this world was useless. All of it was useless compared to what Sardonyx desired, and it always would be!

"I am a member of the Void Triad, and a servant to Lady Sardonyx!"

Yuu's form shifted to her Void Clan attire as multiple birds touched down around her. The gem on the back of her right hand shined with dark violet light as she regarded her quarry, her inhuman gold eyes shining with malice.

"To live for Lady Sardonyx! To die for Lady Sardonyx! That is all I, Tourmaline, desire!"

* * *

All seemed well when the Cures and Tsukiko arrived at the ice cream parlor. Banri and his family looked completely at ease, as did the small handful of other people enjoying ice cream outside at this hour, several of which paused to stare at the three teenage girls who had torn towards the ice cream parlor like their lives depended on it.

Banri looked up from his ice cream sundae, his eyes wide. "Tsukiko!" he said. "Everyone… why are you here? And why were you running?"

"Yeah, seriously." Bunko said between bites of her sundae. "You look like you had to hurry and put out a fire or something."

"Ah… well." Nanami looked aside sheepishly. From the outside, they probably all did look a bit silly. "You see-"

And then a strong wind suddenly kicked up around the ice cream parlor. Several passers-by were nearly blown over, ice cream was knocked out of people's hands, and the three girls were forced to brace against the gale, lest they be bowled over. As the wind dissipated, a vast number of birds touched down around the area, followed by Tourmaline, who descended from her perch atop the ice cream parlor to stand in front of Banri.

"Found you." Tourmaline said coolly. "I'll be taking your Roaring Spark."

Bunko forgot about her ruined dress and rushed in front of her brother. "Don't you dare!" she hissed. "He just got out of the hospital, you creepy freak!"

Tourmaline unblinkingly pointed her hand towards Bunko. A gust of wind strong enough to blow the other girl a few feet away blew forth from it, leaving Bunko to land hard on the pavement. When Banri's parents tried to intercept her, she blasted them away as well without batting an eye.

"No!" Tsukiko cried as she started towards her sister without thinking. "You can't!"

Tourmaline looked at Tsukiko, her eyes hollow. For a brief moment, the elder twin looked mildly upset by her sister's obvious distress… and then her gaze hardened. She looked away sharply and snapped her fingers, causing a circle of blue runes to appear under Banri's wheelchair.

Tsukiko would not be deterred. "I said 'no'!" She tried to throw herself at Tourmaline, only for Kohaku to grab her firmly by the arm. "Banri-kun!"

"There's no need to put yourself in danger." Kohaku said firmly. "Nanami and I will take care of this."

"It's okay, Tsukiko." Banri was trying to sound reassuring, despite being on the verge of tears. "No matter what happens, Pretty Cure will definitely fight to save me, right?"

"That's right!" Tsukiko could sense Tourmaline tense ever-so-slightly at her words, and although the sight hurt her heart, she tried not to feel guilty about it. That was something the old Tsukiko would have done. "Pretty Cure will definitely save you!"

"Don't… don't be ridiculous!" Tourmaline snapped. She extended her right hand towards Banri, the gem on its back blazing with dark violet light. "Roaring Spark! Come forth!"

Banri cried out in pain as his Roaring Spark was ripped out of his chest, drawing screams of panic from his sister and parents. At the same time, Kohaku let go of Tsukiko's arm, allowing the younger twin to scramble towards safety. Banri's Roaring Spark blackened and sunk back into his chest, causing him to be swept up in an immense sphere of dark violet energy.

Moments later, the sphere of dark violet energy dissipated to reveal a towering Utsuroid, which resembled a winged bronze humanoid statue with empty gold eyes and a gold-trimmed navy gem embedded in its chest. It wielded a scythe in one hand, and had an hourglass embedded in its stomach. As most every civilian present collapsed, Tourmaline vanished in an upward gust of wind before appearing on its shoulder, her eyes shining with desperation.

"Let's go, Pretty Cure!" she exclaimed. "This time, I'll definitely crush you!"

Nanami and Kohaku immediately readied their Roaring Compacts.

"Medal, set! Pretty Cure, Roaring Rebirth!"

"Guardian of the ocean that blooms with life! Blossom Knight, Cure Delphinus!"

"Guardian of the wind that sweeps through the plains! Tempest Knight, Cure Leo!"

"The two of us are Pretty Cure!" Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo chorused.

"Those who cruelly meddle with the hearts of others-" Cure Leo said, pointing a finger at Tourmaline.

"We'll put a stop to your actions at once!" Cure Delphinus said, following suit.

The Utsuroid cried in anguish as it swept its scythe in a low arc towards Delphinus and Leo, lopping off the tops of several nearby trees in the process. The two Cures immediately took advantage of the opportunity the Utsuroid had given them. They launched themselves towards the blade of its scythe before running up its handle and nailing it with a combined leaping kick. The Utsuroid staggered backwards before jabbing at the Cures with its free hand, forcing them to leap backwards and touch down on two opposite-facing rooftops.

"I'm so scared." the Utsuroid said in Banri's distorted voice. Its tone was small and miserable-sounding. "I try to be strong, but… but I'm really scared!"

Tsukiko winced as she watched the fight from her spot behind a nearby building. "Banri-kun…"

The Utsuroid attempted to cut at Leo with its scythe, only for the orange Cure to summon her shield, deflecting the blow just long enough for her to roll out of the way, leaving it to take out a chunk of the rooftop instead. Delphinus summoned the Blossom Scepter and blasted one of the Utsuroid's wings with a high-pressure burst of water, drawing its notice. Leo immediately used the opening Delphinus had given her, making a running leap off the rooftop, onto the Utsuroid's shoulder and towards Tourmaline, who was immediately ready with her crossbow.

"You never learn, do you?!" she snapped as she fired a salvo of energy arrows at Leo.

Leo deflected the arrows with her shield without missing a beat. "That's my line." she said as she summoned the Tempest Saber and rushed down Tourmaline.

"I'll never stop being sick!" the Utsuroid cried as it tried to take down Delphinus, who dodged and wove around the blows from its scythe as she leapt from rooftop to rooftop, using every opening she had to fire bursts of water at it. "It's only a matter of time until I go back to the hospital! And what if… what if…"

Leo ran at Tourmaline, who expertly dodged each slash and each energy blade from the Tempest Saber before she moved to counter with her crossbow. Despite her usual agility, Tourmaline's form was far sloppier than usual, making her own attacks easy for Leo to evade. Her opponent was growing desperate, the orange Cure realized. It was as if she feared something terrible would happen, should she not get rid of Pretty Cure.

The Utsuroid screamed in anguish before swinging its scythe towards Delphinus, who leapt off the rooftop she was on. It gave another scream as it drove its scythe downwards. Delphinus leapt upwards just in time to avoid being nailed by its blade, which cut an immense gouge into the asphalt instead.

"What if I never come back?!" it cried.

"Do you hear this, Pretty Cure?" said Tourmaline as Leo parried her blows. "This is what you're trying to preserve! This is what Lady Sardonyx is trying to save you from! Do you understand?"

That was Leo's cue to nail Tourmaline with a straight punch, sending her reeling backwards. "Do you really think a lifeless world is preferable to a world with pain in it?" she demanded as she dodged and parried the flurry of punches Tourmaline sent her way in response. "What a stupid thing to say!"

As the Utsuroid worked to free its scythe from the ground, Delphinus ran up its handle and towards the gem on its chest.

"As long people have their hearts, there is still hope for the future, no matter how scary it seems!" Delphinus said as she dodged the Utsuroid's attempts to knock her away with its free hand. "And there will still be people who create that hope! People like the doctors who work so hard to save lives! People like Tsukiko, who try to give others hope."

Tsukiko, who had been doing her best to hurry unseen after the Cures and their opponents, pressed a hand to her heart as Delphinus spoke. That was right, she thought. That was who she wanted to be. But if Tourmaline was going to be like this, then…

Tourmaline's pupils shrank in fury at the mention of her sister. "Shut up!" she snapped, smacking Leo away with a high-pressure burst of wind the second the orange Cure broke through her salvo of punches. "Hope is fleeting! It's fragile! No one needs such things!"

Leo gritted her teeth in pain as she steadied herself. She glanced towards her partner, who was halfway up the scythe's handle. "Delphinus!"

"Got it!" Delphinus said as she took a running leap forwards, aiming the Blossom Scepter at the gem on the Utsuroid's chest.

Tourmaline's form was shaking with rage as she stared down Leo. "He doesn't need a future… I don't need a future… no one needs a future!" she cried with the desperation of a girl trying to convince herself of her own words as she rushed the orange Cure. "For everything to remain as it is, frozen forever! That's the ideal! That's how things are meant to be!"

"To stay… like this… forever." the Utsuroid replied mechanically, as the hourglass in its stomach began to glow with dark violet light.

Delphinus fired a high-pressure blast of water at the gem on the Utsuroid's chest, cracking it right down the middle. And then the hourglass in the Utsuroid's stomach flipped over.

Immediately, the color in the immediate area drained away, and Delphinus and Leo found themselves being propelled backwards. Or rather, the two Cures realized with mounting horror, the entire battle was going in reverse at high speed. Everything that had happened during their clash with the Utsuroid was rapidly being undone, as if it had never happened.

Seconds later, Delphinus and Leo found themselves right back where they had started – standing in front of the Utsuroid as Tourmaline balanced on its shoulder. For a moment, Tourmaline looked just as stunned as they were… and then she broke into hysterical laughter.

"Amazing!" she said. "To think a frail boy like that could create an invincible Utsuroid like this! Watch me, Lady Sardonyx! I'll definitely crush Pretty Cure!"

Leo stared at the Utsuroid in horror. "It really did reverse time. Nothing we did to it mattered."

Delphinus gave Leo's hand a comforting squeeze. "It's alright." she said gently. "If we can just get close enough to take out that hourglass, we won't have to worry about that." She looked up at the Utsuroid, her eyes shining with resolve. "Banri! For your sake, we will not give up!"

Tourmaline grinned arrogantly as Pretty Cure nodded at one another before rushing towards the Utsuroid and launching themselves into the air, Melody Arms at the ready. Now that she knew what her creation was capable of, she felt no need to so much as lift a finger. And indeed, before the Cures could land a blow on the hourglass, the Utsuroid reversed time, leaving the pair right back where they started again.

"Don't you get it?" she sneered. "No matter what you do, it's useless! Useless, useless, useless! Just like everything else in this world! Soon, this boy's heart will be lost to you! And then…"

 _"What right do we have to take everyone's future away, Yuu?"_

That didn't matter, Tourmaline told herself as the Cures fought the Utsuroid, only for it to negate each attempt at a finishing blow, no matter how fast or well-executed with its time-reversing powers. It was only a matter of time before Pretty Cure fell, and the Utsuroid took down the hearts of everyone in Seizato. Soon, no one here would have a future, and…

 _"What about you, Yuu? What do you want to do?"_

…that was good because Lady Sardonyx said it was good! Who cared how lonely she felt in that silent kingdom! Who cared about how much warmer this world felt! Who cared about how much Irene's love meant to that traitorous part of her heart! Her feelings were irrelevant! Her sister's feelings were irrelevant! So why… so why…?

 _"I want to live in this world with my strange and aloof twin sister and my spacey and carefree big brother."_

Why couldn't she feel happy, knowing what was about to happen? Was it because Selenite…

…that was why, Tourmaline mused bitterly as Pretty Cure continued to fight a futile battle, despite their obviously mounting frustration and draining energy levels. Because they believed in hope for the future, against all odds. Just as Selenite had grown to. And that wouldn't change, no matter what she had to say about it. Just like Pretty Cure wouldn't give up, no matter what.

Tourmaline could not live in a world where Sardonyx had no use for her. But she couldn't live in a world where her twin sister was her enemy. And if she could not change Selenite's heart…

Even as her twin was coming to this realization, Tsukiko watched Pretty Cure futilely struggle against the Utsuroid from around the corner of a nearby building. They were fighting valiantly, but they couldn't last foreer. Eventually, those two's stamina would give out. And then Seizato would go the way of their home kingdom. Sardonyx would surely approve but there was no way that Tsukiko would. And no matter how loudly Tourmaline screamed and railed, it was clear she felt the same way.

Pretty Cure couldn't even touch to their opponent. Tsukiko knew that well. But, she told herself as bits of silver light began to dance around her form, she could. She would not hesitate this time. It didn't matter that Pretty Cure was supposed to be her enemy. Now was the time for her to repay the help they had given her!

Indeed, Tsukiko had been correct. Pretty Cure couldn't last forever. The two were growing worn down by their futile struggle against the Utsuroid, and although they were trying to stay strong, the way their forms trembled with exertion as they stared down the Utsuroid and Tourmaline spoke volumes.

"You really are at the end of your tethers, aren't you?" Tourmaline forced a triumphant smile she did not feel. "I guess that's that, then. I've won."

And then the hourglass in the Utsuroid's stomach shattered in a burst of silver light.

"Wh-what?" Tourmaline sputtered.

Pretty Cure, having been granted their second wind by this sudden turn of events, came barreling forwards, rapidly driving the Utsuroid backwards through downtown Seizato with a flurry of elementally-charged punches and kicks.

"That energy…" Tourmaline whispered. "It can't be!"

Delphinus and Leo readied their Melody Arms before leaping into the air and nailing the gem on the Utsuroid's chest with a combined energy blast. The gem on its chest cracked down the middle, this time for good, as the two Cures touched down onto the rooftop of a nearby building before nodding at one another.

"Let our radiantly roaring hearts create a beautiful harmony!" the two Cures cried out in unison as they transformed their Melody Arms into their instrument modes.

"Oh water, play a cascading melody!" Delphinus cried.

"Oh lightning, dance to a sparkling rhythm!" Leo cried.

"Sing out together, oh powers of Pretty Cure!" Delphinus and Leo chorused. "Pretty Cure Roaring Concerto!"

The Cures' finisher rushed towards the Utsuroid. Tourmaline leapt off of its shoulder and onto the nearest rooftop, seconds before the Utsuroid was engulfed in a massive rainbow-colored explosion of light, causing the gem on its chest to shatter.

"So warm…" the Utsuroid said as it gave off multicolored energy before its form resolved into that of an unconscious Banri, who was deposited gently onto the ground.

For once, Tourmaline did not go after Pretty Cure in the wake of their battle. Instead, she watched her opponents hurry to see to the unconscious Banri before she looked sharply away. She felt equal parts hollowed out and oddly relieved. She wasn't sure if she liked it. She wasn't sure of anything anymore.

"So, that's your answer, Selenite." she said quietly. "But mine…" She looked down and shook her head. "I don't know anymore."

And then she was gone in an upward gust of wind, leaving Pretty Cure to see to Banri.

* * *

Banri's eyes slowly flickered open. He was nowhere near the ice cream parlor. No, he was flying above downtown Seizato. Or rather, someone was carrying him. For a moment, he found himself wondering if he was being carried off to heaven by angels. And then he looked up at the person carrying him.

"It's you!" he gasped. "Cure Delphinus! And Cure Leo too!"

Indeed, Cure Delphinus was holding Banri in her arms, leaping from rooftop to rooftop en route to the ice cream parlor, as Leo kept pace alongside her.

"You really did fight to save me." Banri said. "I remember! Just barely, but I definitely remember!"

""It's just like I told Nanami." Delphinus said. "No matter how scary the battle is, we will never stop fighting for everyone's future. We have too many people depending on us to give up!"

The group was drawing close to where Banri's family was. They were now beginning to stir from their spell of unconsciousness, much like many of the other civilians in the area.

"I'll fight for my future too!" Banri told Delphinus and Leo. "If you guys can do it, so can I!"

"I look forwards to it." Leo said. She and Delphinus nodded at each other before they leapt downwards from their current rooftop, onto the awning of the ice cream parlor, and then onto the ground near the Kijima family. Leo set up Banri's abandoned wheelchair in a fluid motion, before Delphinus gently deposited him into it. "Will you be alright from here?"

"I think so." Banri said. He was looking straight at Bunko, who recovered enough to pull herself to a sitting position and was staring slack-jawed at Pretty Cure. He grinned and flashed her an 'I'm okay' gesture. "I guess you have to get going, right? I'm sure heroes like you are super busy."

"That's right." Delphinus said. "We have an entire town to look after. So, until next time-" She gave Banri one last gentle pat on the head before she and Leo moved to leave. Before they departed, she offered him a beaming smile and a wave, as Leo offered a shy smile of her own. "Take care, Banri!"

And then she and Leo were gone. Banri watched them roof-hopping into the distance, until they had disappeared from view.

* * *

Tsukiko spent a while after the battle on the hillside overlooking Seizato General. Part of her wondered if she should head inside, just so she had an excuse to stay on Earth a bit longer. But another part of her refused to budge from her spot. She hadn't been able to find Yuu after her battle with Pretty Cure, and she really didn't want to leave without her sister. If she stayed here, maybe Yuu would find her.

Moments after the thought occurred to Tsukiko, she felt a sudden rush of wind behind her, followed by the sound of soft footfalls. And then Yuu sat down beside her. Her sister looked incredibly spent and more than a bit tense, enough that Tsukiko instinctively braced for the lecture that was surely coming.

"There's no need to be like that." Yuu said quietly. She even sounded completely spent. "I have no energy for lectures. Not after all of that."

The two sisters sat side by side in silence for some time before Tsukiko finally spoke.

"I don't want to fight my own twin, Yuu. But I can't live this way either. That's why I did it. I'm not going to hide that. I'm done hiding things from you."

"I'm glad." Yuu said. "It's not fun, not being trusted by your own twin. Even if I sort of deserved it." She was silent for a moment before adding "But even if I can see it your way, can you really believe Lady Sardonyx will? You saw how she acted back there. Back with Pretty Cure."

Tsukiko nodded solemnly. "That does worry me. But… we're different than Pretty Cure. She revived us because she valued us, right? Maybe if we tried to convince her together, she would listen. Then it wouldn't have to be like this."

"Maybe." Yuu said. There lying behind her usual flat tone that had not been there before. Something like hope. "I don't know yet." She exhaled slowly before flopping backwards onto her back, Tsukiko following suit. "We'll go with Pretty Cure to that private island. Irene will be there too, after all. And…"

Tsukiko glanced worriedly at her twin. "You aren't going to-!"

"I don't know. I don't know anything anymore." Yuu said. "I'll give you my answer then. That's all I can say for now." She stared up at the sky, which was gradually fading from the vivid blue of the daytime to the soft oranges and pinks of evening. "The sky looks very beautiful right now."

"The moon looks lovely as well." Tsukiko said. Indeed, the moon was quite clear in the sky at this hour, looking almost like a precious gem. "And it doesn't have to stop being that way, right, Yuu?"

Yuu sighed heavily. She sounded both annoyed and affectionate. "That's right, Tsukiko. Maybe that's how it's meant to be."


	15. Episode Fifteen

**Episode Fifteen** : It's Not a Dream! Our Roaring Island Vacation!

* * *

The sun had barely peaked over the horizon when Kohaku, ever the early riser, had nudged Nanami awake. The Illuster refugees prepared for the coming day in silence before they descended the stairs of Shooting Star and met Tsubasa at the entrance. One of the Himi estate's servants had arrived for the group's luggage the night before – all that was left was to head to the Himi estate proper this morning and board the helicopter that would take them to the Himi family's private island.

"So, are you kids ready to head out?" asked Tsubasa, who looked more than a bit drained, before she took a long sip from the thermos she was holding.

"As ready as I shall ever be." Nanami said. "I'm really excited - I have never traveled quite like this before. Or been given this much freedom. Besides, I think all of us need the vacation, after everything."

Kohaku looked far more pensive. "I guess it will be nice, not having to worry about bodyguard duties during your travels, Nanami." she said. "And I'm sure Yuzuki's happy to have so many friends with her on her island. But…" As Tsubasa opened the front door, she cast a worried glance towards the café owner before lowering her volume. "I'm worried about those three. Will it really be okay, being on an island with them?"

Nanami gave Kohaku's hand a gentle squeeze. "I promise, it will be alright." she said. "And if anything does happen, I will back you up. I'm your partner, after all."

The rays of the morning sun were just beginning to gently bathe the Himi estate in light when Tsubasa and the Illuster refugees arrived at the Himi estate and were escorted to its helicopter landing pad, which was located on the roof. Ayame Haruno, the head maid, was there to greet the group, along with Robin, who looked as sprightly as ever, Irene, who looked more than a bit anxious, and Yuzuki, who appeared to be falling asleep on her feet.

"Oh… hello, everyone." said Yuzuki after a politely muffled yawn. She was leaning against Robin and looked quite comfortable where she was. "I trust you're all well this morning?"

"But of course." Nanami said. "Did you sleep alright, Yuzuki?"

"Oh, there's no need to worry about Yuzu." Robin said as her sleepy girlfriend cuddled up against her. "She's just not a morning person – get her some of Aozora-san's delicious coffee, and she'll be as right as rain!"

Kohaku looked worried about a certain party as well – or rather, the lack of several parties. "Haruno-san, are Yuu and the others showing up?" Part of her would have been alright with them being absent, but another part was genuinely worried. Besides, Nanami and Irene would be sad if they weren't here.

"Hoshikawa-san did say they might be a bit late." Haruno said. "But they did send their luggage ahead of time, just as your group did. I believe they'll show up."

Moments after Haruno spoke, Hisao Hoshikawa came tearing towards the group. He stumbled badly in the process and would have landed flat on his face, were it not for Tsubasa reaching out to steady him.

"Geez, where's the fire, Hoshikawa-san?" Tsubasa said wryly. As Hisao straightened up, muttering an apology, she added "Nice to see you again, though."

Hisao looked aside and muttered something non-committal in response, just as the first of what would be three helicopters touched down, filling the air with the roar of rotors as it hovered a few yards from the group. It was quite an impressive sight, Nanami mused – certainly, she had traveled around in flying machines back home, but those were nothing like the flying machines of this world. She wondered how it would feel to ride in one of these helicopters.

Tsukiko and Yuu followed shortly after Hisao. The younger twin greeted everyone with a shy smile and a bow, and the older twin offered everyone a thin smile of her own – save Irene, who got a visibly brighter one, before immediately moving to stare at her brother, who looked utterly green at the helicopter's very presence.

" _Really_?" Hisao groused. "Are you sure we couldn't just take a boat or something?"

"What, Hisao, are you afraid of it?" Yuu asked, raising her voice to be heard above the blades. "I thought you were the mature adult here."

"I don't know…" muttered Tsubasa, who looked as green around the gills as Hisao did. "I said I was prepared for anything, but…" She turned to Haruno. "Won't these things tip over if you shift around in them too much?"

Haruno simply smiled. "There's nothing to worry about – the young mistress and I have traveled in them many times without issue. As long as we don't pile too many people in at once, and everyone remains calm, everything will be perfectly fine." Tsubasa and Hisao did not look at all reassured by that one… although they tried their best to hide this once Haruno glanced in their direction. "Well, then – we'd best be heading off soon. Who wants to board this one?"

Nanami wasted no time in stepping forwards. "I'm more than ready, if that's alright?" she said. Sirius wasted no time in stepping forwards alongside her, as did Kohaku and after a moment of hesitation and a quiet 'Well, I'm game if you are', Tsubasa. She offered a beaming smile to all present. "I'm really looking forwards to this vacation, everyone! Let's make it a good one!"

A ripple of agreement traveled through the crowd. It was distinctly more lukewarm on the Hoshikawa siblings' end, and although it escaped Nanami completely, Kohaku couldn't help but notice how on edge the three, especially Hisao looked. It might behoove her to keep an eye on them, she decided.

* * *

Nanami quickly decided she loved riding in a helicopter. Her crimson eyes sparkled as the helicopter traveled through the sky, giving her and her fellow Shooting Star residents a birds-eye view of Seizato and the ocean, which sparkled like a beautiful gem, surrounding it.

"It's so wonderful, being up here like this with everyone." she said as she cuddled up next to Kohaku, a content smile on her face. "It's just like I'm in a dream."

"It really is." said Kohaku. She wasn't as keen on looking out the window as Nanami was – doing it for too long gave her a terrible case of vertigo – but she definitely didn't mind her partner snuggling up against her like this. "I just hope everything goes well."

Sirius, on the other hand, was more worried about Tsubasa than anything else. The café owner was staring straight ahead, her lips pursed tightly. She had not said a word, let alone budged an inch since their helicopter had taken off. She looked more than a bit green as well.

"Are you alright?" Sirius asked quietly. "Do you need to lie down after we disembark? I'm sure Haruno would understand, yes, yes."

Tsubasa shook her head. "I'll be fine as soon as we're on the ground." she said. "Man, I'm doing a bad job at living up to my namesake, aren't I?"

The environment in the Hoshikawa siblings' helicopter was an awkward one. Irene had been insistent on riding with the group, and although Yuu hadn't been able to tell her no, she wasn't sure if she was happy about this arrangement. She was going to have to figure out how to deal with the girl soon enough, she mused as she stared ahead, blank-faced, and Irene's insistence on being by her side was making that even harder to forget.

Irene tapped Yuu on the shoulder. 'Are you angry at me?' she'd written on her notepad. 'You've been really tense since we took off.'

"Huh?" Yuu said. "N-no, it's fine, I'm just… thinking." She offered Irene a thin but genuine smile. "I'm glad you're with me. I always am."

Tsukiko was a bit concerned about Irene and Yuu, given what her sister had mentioned before. She had a hard time paying them much attention, given how Hisao seemed to be faring. Her brother, who was staring down at his hands, looked a few moments away from passing out. Part of her wanted to chalk it up to him hating being on the helicopter and nothing more, but that would be foolish. She knew her brother wasn't anywhere near as shallow as he portrayed himself as.

"Big bro?" Tsukiko nudged Hisao gently. "Are you doing okay?"

"As okay as I'll ever be." Hisao mumbled. He didn't bother looking up, let alone forcing a smile. "It's fine, Tsukiko. I'm just airsick."

Tsukiko didn't buy it. She didn't press the issue, and neither did Yuu. Hisao was thankful for that. He didn't have the heart to tell his sisters about the exchange he'd had with Sardonyx before the three had left. Not now. As long as they stayed loyal, he wouldn't have to worry about the three of them… right?

The only helicopter without a hint of tension in it was the one that Yuzuki, Haruno, and Robin rode in. Yuzuki was still quite sleepy, and she came very close to dozing off on Robin's shoulder as the helicopters traveled closer to the Himi family's private island. Even then, she was clearly looking towards the trip with as much anticipation as her visibly excited girlfriend. And once the island proper, which sported a ring of forests, an extensive beach and an impressive-looking cape, and a sizable beach estate, came into view, she was clearly alert and at attention.

"There it is, Haruno-san!" Yuzuki said. "We're finally back. Hopefully, everyone finds this place as hospitable as I always have."

"I'm certain they will, young mistress." Haruno said. "And to think, you were so certain it'd just be the two of us on that island every year."

Yuzuki smiled nostalgically. "That I did. I'm so glad I was wrong." she said.

"Even more wrong than you were last year, Yuzu." Robin said as she shot her girlfriend a beaming smile. "I'm glad! I hope Nana-chi and the others enjoy themselves here as much as I did last year!" She tipped Yuzuki a wink. "And as much as I plan to this year."

Yuzuki flushed slightly. "Oh my." she said quietly before giving Robin's hand a gentle squeeze. "But… I'm looking forwards to it as well! The sun is best on the beach, after all."

Haruno said nothing. She didn't have to. The sheer amount of pride the older woman radiated, seeing her charge and her girlfriend so at ease and happy spoke volumes.

* * *

Soon enough, the Shooting Star crew's helicopter touched down atop the landing pad on the estate's roof. Kohaku promptly hopped out, before helping Nanami disembark. The two were followed by Sirius, who hopped out before waiting patiently for Tsubasa, who departed the helicopter with badly shaking legs.

"Well, I've discovered one of my least favorite things in the world." the café owner, who still looked quite green, muttered.

The Hoshikawa siblings had already disembarked and were leaning on one of the rails near the landing pad. Yuu looked a bit out of it, and Hisao looked every bit as green as Tsubasa did. Tsukiko greeted the Shooting Star crowd with a small wave as soon as she sensed their approach.

"There you are." She motioned Nanami and Kohaku towards where she was standing. "Look how pretty it is!"

Indeed, Nanami discovered, if the Himi family's private island looked beautiful from afar, it was absolutely magnificent up close. A vibrant and verdant landscape, complete with a sizable forest growing up a hill the size of a small mountain and a small orchard spread out before her. A shining white beach surrounded the area, complete with a gorgeous cape and several small atolls in the surrounding ocean, which sparkled beautifully in the sunlight. The smell of the ocean air was much stronger here, the touch of the sun seemed warmer, and the sound of birdsong could be heard gently filtering through the air.

"It's absolutely gorgeous!" Nanami said rapturously. She turned to Kohaku, grinning radiantly. "Let's make sure to enjoy ourselves to the fullest while we're here!" And then, to the twins. "Aren't you glad you decided to come along, Yuu, Tsukiko?"

The twins exchanged glances before nodding absently. In truth, they weren't sure if they were glad about this or not, given their conflicting thoughts on their own situation and especially whatever seemed to be eating their brother. But, that was for the three of them to sort out. Pretty Cure didn't have to know.

"Isn't it lovely?" said Yuzuki, who had departed her own helicopter, along with Haruno, Robin, and Irene a moment ago. "I can't wait for you all to see everything this island has to offer! But first, we should show them all to their rooms, correct, Haruno-san?"

"Of course, young mistress. But first…" said Haruno. She cast a concerned glance towards Tsubasa and Hisao, both of whom looked ready to hit the floor at any moment. "Could I provide the two of you with medicine for airsickness, by any chance?"

"Please." Tsubasa and Hisao chorused without missing a beat.

* * *

The Himi family's beach residence was an elaborately decorated mansion that was only a slight degree away from the Himi estate proper in size and grandiosity. It wasn't anything particularly novel to the Illuster refugees, but they still drank in the surroundings with curious eyes as Haruno guided everyone, save Tsubasa and Hisao, who were currently laid up, towards the estate's residential wing. Along the way, Nanami noted a number of familiar-looking still life paintings bedecking the walls, along with a few more abstract, if quite emotionally charged pieces. It seemed that the Himi family had quite a fondness for art.

"Many of the paintings here look quite familiar." Nanami said. "Might they be by the same artist, Haruno-san?"

"You have quite a sharp eye, Nagisa-san." Haruno said. "Indeed, a good many of the paintings here were commissions by one artist. My husband, to be exact." She smiled nostalgically. "His presence hangs quite heavy in this house. Many presences do. This is a place with a lot of history to it."

The color drained slightly from Irene's face as soon as Haruno spoke. The young girl pulled out her notepad before jotting something down and passing it to Yuu, who stared at it in confusion.

"Irene wants to know if this place is haunted." Yuu said flatly. "And if so, exactly how many ghosts are around here." She stared at Irene quizzically. "What do you mean by 'ghosts'?"

"Oh, come on!" Robin said cheerfully. "Surely, you know what a ghost is, Yuu-chi!" At the twins' resulting blank stares, she shook her head. " _Commozione_ , you two! There's kidding, and then there's kidding! Anyway, I'm sure an old place like this has to have a few invisible dead people around! Right, Haruno-san?"

"I suppose so." said Haruno, who looked more puzzled by this topic change than anything.

"It would be quite interesting." Yuzuki clapper her hands together. "Wouldn't it be amazing if we saw a real ghost while we were here?"

The twins, both of whom were trying to puzzle out the matter of invisible dead people, exchanged glances before staring blankly at Yuzuki. Nanami looked a bit lost, and Kohaku looked mildly put off. Sirius looked utterly confused. And Irene just looked ready to phase through the floor. It didn't seem anyone shared Yuzuki or Robin's enthusiasm in this department.

There were plenty of rooms to go around in the beach residence, enough for each and every person in attendance – save Sirius, who had been granted a luxury dog bed in Nanami's room - to get one of the residence's spacious, luxuriously decorated rooms, each of which sported a beautiful still life or a gorgeous abstract piece on its wall, to themselves. Each room had been helpfully marked with a nameplate, and the luggage of each respective owner had already been unpacked and carefully situated in their room.

"This estate has its own staff, which keeps everything here in working order until the young mistress, her friends, and occasionally, her parents, might deign to visit." Haruno explained, once everyone had finished checking out their rooms. "I sent everyone away for the weekend, so it shall be just our little crew on this island."

"I see." said Kohaku, who looked more than a little alarmed – and guilty – at the idea of one maid handling everything on this island. "Well, if you need any help, Haruno-san, please let me know. I don't feel right, making you do everything."

"Don't worry about it." Haruno said gently. "I shall manage just fine, between myself and our two chaperones. You girls should focus on having fun. There are so many things to enjoy here – we have a gorgeous beach, a carefully curated forest path, a marvelous little cove, should you feel inclined to swim that way…"

"We also have an orchard, a pool, a small spa, a home theatre, a music room… there are so many wonderful amenities to relax and enjoy here." Yuzuki said. "And perhaps we may be able to indulge in a bit of ghost-hunting as well."

Irene shot Yuu her best 'god, I hope not' expression.

"My, is that what girls are into these days?" Haruno said. "Well, you all have the entire weekend ahead of you – I'm certain you'll have plenty of time to enjoy all of that and more. But first, shall I escort you to the dining area? I'm sure you're all quite hungry, and I know the young mistress requires her coffee. Luckily, I have just the person to make it."

* * *

Tsubasa was truly in her element at the moment. Once the café owner had recovered from her bout of airsickness, Haruno had escorted her and Hisao to the kitchen, where a variety of high-end coffee supplies and top-quality beans awaited her. By the time the girls arrived in the kitchen proper, she wasn't just back to her normal self – she looked even better than before.

"Hello, everyone!" said Tsubasa, who was standing behind the impromptu coffee bar that Haruno had assembled for her, as Haruno and the others entered the kitchen. "Name a drink, and I can make it for you! Make it as complicated as you want! I feel like I could make anything right now!"

Tsubasa happily made good on her promise too. By the end of it, she had made a wide variety of coffee-based drinks for most of the girls, from a strong black coffee for Yuzuki, to a caramel macchiato for Nanami. Even Irene, who didn't like coffee, was generously treated to what Tsubasa described as the best cup of hot chocolate she had ever made.

"You said anything… that means I can have a tall espresso, right?" Hisao, who was leaning on the counter near Tsubasa, asked wryly, once the girls had been served their drinks and departed to the breakfast buffet Haruno had set up in the dining hall.

"Not on your life, Hoshikawa-san." Tsubasa fired back. Her tone softened a bit, and she added "You're welcome to learn how to make coffee if you want? Now's the best time to teach you, and…" She bit her lip, clearly not wanting to voice the obvious 'I'm concerned about your behavior' at a time like this.

Hisao shrugged. "If you want." he said absently. He did sort of want to learn, but it wouldn't matter in the long term. Not as long as Sardonyx…

 _"I can't tell what you're thinking. But I feel your hearts drifting away from me, Agate. And I can't say I like it."_

"Actually, you might have to hold off on that." Haruno said apologetically. "I'm sorry to trouble you two, but I'll have to end up borrowing you for a while. I have an elaborate dinner planned for tonight, and although there are many things I can take care of myself, in the end, I am only one woman."

"Hey, I'm cool with that." Tsubasa said. "Let the kids relax and the adults handle the heavy lifting. Works for me."

Hisao looked aside. "I don't know." he said quietly. "I only came along because those two begged me to." Not the whole truth, but he certainly wasn't dumb enough to tell Tsubasa that one, given their… history together. "I'm not useful for much."

Tsubasa looked thoroughly nonplussed. "Then you can learn." she said nonchalantly. "Your sisters are pretty sharp girls, so I'm sure you have it in you as well, Hoshikawa-san. I'm cheering for you."

"If you say so." Hisao sighed. He wished he could tell Tsubasa how much her words stung sometimes.

* * *

The girls and Sirius enjoyed a delicious breakfast on the beach residence's sizable veranda. Well, most of the group seemed to be enjoying themselves. Yuu was only picking at her food, Tsukiko looked deeply lost in thought, and Irene looked more than a little on edge, even after finishing off her hot cocoa.

"Hm? Is the food not to your liking, Yuu?" Yuzuki asked. "I can have Haruno-san bring you something else, if you wish."

"No, it's not that." Yuu said flatly. "I just have a lot on my mind." And most of it had to do with the immense can of worms her sister's changing allegiances had opened up, namely, how to handle Irene. Not that anyone else needed to know that. "That's all."

"Yuu and I had a very strict upbringing." Tsukiko explained, having instantly picked up on the true source of her sister's discomfort. "We've never done anything like this before, so we're not sure how to proceed."

"I guess I can understand that." Kohaku said between bites of her breakfast. "To be honest, I'm also a stranger to enjoying myself on vacations. Nanami and I traveled a lot, but I was expected to look after her and attend to her personal needs. Someone in my position wasn't supposed to think about having fun."

Kohaku looked a bit melancholic as she spoke. It earned her a gentle squeeze of the hand and a reassuring smile from Nanami, and that did make her feel a bit better. Almost better enough to ignore the nervousness having the twins close by set off in the pit of her stomach.

"That's right – I remember you mentioning your family worked for hers, Kohaku." Yuzuki said. "Even so, it's still quite cruel to do that to a child." She cast a troubled glance at Irene. "And what about you, Irene? You look really tense. Is this about the ghosts?"

"If this island has ghosts, I'll defeat them." Yuu said. "I don't care if they're invisible or not. I'll protect you, Irene."

Irene gaped at Yuu. 'You can't punch a ghost!' she wrote. 'They're dead! You can't touch them! It's hopeless unless we have the right tools, and I know we don't! Do you have an exorcist? Do you know someone who wields holy light? Can Pretty Cure punch ghosts?'

For a moment, Tsukiko looked like she wanted to say something. She demurred. She wasn't sure if her powers would be any use against these ghosts or not.

"Can Pretty Cure punch ghosts?" Nanami said. "That's… quite a question. And… not one you need trouble yourself with, Irene! Let's focus on more positive things." After a thoughtful pause, she added "I know! How about you tell me how you kicked off last year's vacation, Yuzuki, Robin? Then we can go from there!"

"Oh? Well, I usually spend the morning gathering seashells on the beach." Yuzuki said. "I've traditionally made something for Haruno-san every year we're here – and Robin and I had so much fun making jewelry for each other."

"And I enjoyed a nice hike through the forest around here!" Robin said. "There are so many wonderful sights to see around there, and that's not all! There's also…" She shook her head. "Oh no, I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, especially for Yuu-chi and Reenie. It's better if you all see it yourselves!"

'Not sure if I like surprises, but a forest hike sounds like fun' Irene wrote. 'You'll go with me, right, Yuu?'

Yuu nodded without hesitation. Regardless of how she dealt with Irene in the end, it probably would be pragmatic to stay around the younger girl. And maybe she genuinely enjoyed being around her too. Maybe she did care. Just a little.

"If you two are going, then I'll go as well." Kohaku said. "I think a forest hike sounds like a lot of fun." And she wanted to keep an eye on Yuu, because she didn't trust her as far as she could throw her. Not that she'd dare say that out loud. "Are you coming along, Robin?"

"But of course, Kohacchi!" Robin said. "I'd be a lousy excuse for a big sister if I didn't keep an eye on Reenie anyway."

"I think I would enjoy gathering seashells with you, Yuzuki." Nanami said. "The beach around here looks absolutely gorgeous, so I'd love an excuse to explore it anyway." She glanced over at Tsukiko, who still seemed a bit lost in her own thoughts. "Would you like to come along with Sirius and me, Tsukiko?"

Tsukiko, who had been too busy turning her recent exchanges with her siblings over in her mind to participate full in the conversation, jumped a little when Nanami addressed her, but finally, she nodded. "If it's okay with you?" she said. "I think it might be fun."

"Then, it's decided." Yuzuki said. "Let's enjoy this weekend to the fullest, everyone!"

* * *

The forest surrounding the island was partially actual wilderness and partially a full-fledged hiking trail. The path through the forest and up the quasi-mountain in the middle of the island was quite clear-cut and carefully maintained, but there was still plenty of verdure surrounding the path. A wide variety of plants dotted the area, numerous insects and birds could be seen and heard flitting about, and occasionally, the girls would catch a glimpse of a colorful lizard or a charmingly rotund frog or a skittish rabbit.

"Isn't it amazing? _Che fico_! I love it!" Robin exulted as she guided the group through the hiking trail. "Yuzu's staff takes such good care of this place – especially its special guests! It's like its own little nature preserve!"

"It is pretty nice." Kohaku said as she stopped to admire a cluster of pink flowers. Part of her wanted to pick them for Nanami, but the other part didn't want to kill something so beautiful. Maybe she could buy her partner a nice flower-themed accessory. "I glad Irene's so happy with it."

Indeed, Irene was truly in her element at present. The young girl drank in her surroundings with eager eyes, occasionally paused to listen rapturously to birdsong, and was soon stopping the group every few paces to sketch a passing-by insect or animal, or to inspect the flora. Every now and then, she would pull Yuu aside and show the older girl her drawings or whisper excitedly to her about her discoveries.

Yuu, for her part, looked as emotionless as ever on the surface, but a close observer could tell that she was enjoying the forest and its creatures as much as Irene was. The sight and sound of the island's wildlife even managed a small smile out of the otherwise stiff girl a few times. And she was clearly happy being around Irene as well, even if there was a bit of awkwardness to her demeanor, as if she was frightened of being too comfortable with the younger girl.

Kohaku wished that she could view Yuu's friendship with Irene with neutrality, she mused as she watched Yuu and Irene fawning over a passing-by frog together. She wished she could view anything Yuu did with neutrality. But Yuu and Tourmaline were likely one and the same. Even if she loved nature, even if she treated Irene like her own little sister, even if Nanami was right about her and her sister, Kohaku would be foolish to drop her guard around her.

Apparently, Kohaku had been staring at Yuu just a bit too intently, because the green-haired girl suddenly froze up and turned to regard Kohaku with an uncomfortably piercing stare. Before Yuu could say anything to Kohaku, however, Robin pulled Kohaku aside. Kohaku wasn't sure if her upperclassman had sensed the threat of awkwardness ensuing or was just being Robin. Either way, she was grateful.

"Also! Also, Kohacchi-!" Robin said. "The summit of this hill? It's a great stargazing spot! There're some top-notch telescopes up top, and the night sky here is even clearer than it is in Seizato! And of course, it also doubles as an excellent bird-watching spot during the day. That's your kind of thing, right, Yuu-chi?"

Yuu stared blankly at Robin. "I suppose so."

Robin nodded sagely before turning her attentions back to Kohaku. "It's also a super-romantic spot. Almost as romantic as the cape off of this beach. If you have a girl you like, you should bring her there!" She tipped Kohaku a wink. "Just some advice from you to me."

Kohaku turned beet red. "Wh-where did that come from?"

Robin simply smiled. "Yuzu and I had our first real date on this island, you know."

Kohaku couldn't think of anything else to add to the conversation for a long while after that. The group traveled in silence, save for Irene and Yuu's excited whispering, as steam poured out of Kohaku's ears. Why yes, there was a girl she liked, and part of her suspected that the girl in question knew, but… that would be too forwards! Friends or not, there was still rank to consider, and… there was no way she could just… right?

Yuu, of all people, saved Kohaku from further internal fretting. "What about the special guests you mentioned, Asahina-san? When will we meet them?"

"We should see them sooner or later!" Robin said. "They can be a bit elusive, but…" She grinned, motioning to her pocket. "The sun always brings proper insurance! Just have to wait, and…" She noticed that Irene was staring at her rather intently. "Something wrong, Reenie?"

'They're animals, right?' Irene wrote. 'Not ghosts? There are no ghosts involved, right?'

"It had better not be ghosts." Yuu said firmly. "I detest the thought of something I can't fight." She looked around furtively, her dark gold eyes narrowing. "How am I supposed to handle such things if they come for Irene or Tsukiko?" She noticed the quizzical way Kohaku was staring at her and immediately bristled. "Are you judging me, Kohaku Shishioh?"

"N-not at all!" Kohaku said. "I just didn't think you were the type to be afraid of ghosts, Yuu!"

Yuu looked aside with a huff. "I… I am not afraid." she said. "Just troubled. I, Yuu Hoshikawa, cannot abide the thought of an untouchable foe!". She caught herself, coughed into her palm, and added "Anyway! Irene says ghosts typically come out at night. It's probably just-"

Before Yuu could finish that sentence, the sound of twigs cracking underfoot could be heard, and the girls could feel multiple pairs of eyes on them. Immediately, Yuu was on full alert, moving protectively besides Irene as she assumed something akin to a battle stance. The distant rustling of wings could be heard as a number of birds suddenly alighted on nearby trees. They seemed to be watching the area as keenly as Yuu was.

Kohaku tried to ignore how badly the sudden surge of birds in the area made her heart sink, even as she felt a presence looming behind her. Immediately, her own well-honed instincts as a bodyguard took over. Soon, Kohaku and Yuu were almost back to back, both girls ready to deal with any threats that might be coming their way.

'They're out there, aren't they?' Irene, who looked thirty seconds away from bolting, frantically wrote on her notepad. 'The ghosts! They're coming to get us!'

At this point, Robin was the only person present who wasn't panicking. "Look, guys, I promise, it's not what you're thinking!" she said. "Just give it a few more moments, and you'll see! It's nothing to be worried about!"

A multitude of shining eyes lit up in the darkness of the surrounding foliage, and Kohaku's bodyguard instincts went into hyperdrive. Judging by the tension radiating off of Yuu, and the increasing agitation of the birds in the area, the other girl was equally on edge.

"Robin, I know you want to surprise everyone." Kohaku said. "But Irene is getting really stressed out by this! So, please-"

Robin looked instantly apologetic. But before she could give a proper explanation, there was a sudden rustling of foliage, and a dozen small forms leapt towards the group.

* * *

There was a wealth of seashells to be found lying along the island's sparkling white beach. Yuzuki and Nanami eagerly strolled along the coastline, gathering choice-looking shells into the woven baskets they carried. Tsukiko was more hesitant about it at first, but soon, she was eagerly getting in on seashell-hunting as well, in between locating the odd clump of seaweed, washed-up jellyfish, or small tide pool. Sirius did their best to help the girls in their task – it was a bit harder without the use of opposable thumbs, and they found themselves inwardly wishing they could assume their true form and be done with it, but they contributed nevertheless.

"My, we have quite the collection going so far." Yuzuki said as she glanced at Nanami and Tsukiko's baskets. "Do you have any plans for yours?"

"I think I might make a bracelet for Yuu." Tsukiko said. She hummed thoughtfully. "Or… maybe two! One for me, and one for her."

Nanami smiled at Tsukiko's suggestion. "That sounds ideal." she said. "My little sister and I did that sort of thing all the time. We have quite the collection at home."

Tsukiko felt a bolt of ice lance into her stomach at the mention of Celes. That was right… the young girl that the twins had long thought of as an unwelcome intruder was Nanami's beloved little sister. And just as Tsukiko hurt at the thought of fighting Yuu, Nanami must have hurt terribly at the thought of having to fight Celes. No, she clearly had. The other girl's obvious anguish had just been easier for Tsukiko to look past back then.

The younger twin sighed melancholically as she looked down at her feet. If she wanted to be better, she would have to stop being an accessory to Celes' imprisonment and thus, Nanami's pain. But… that would require revealing her true identity and openly defying Sardonyx's wishes. And even now, despite everything…

"Tsukiko?" Nanami asked. "Are you alright?"

"Oh… sure!" Tsukiko said nervously as she met Nanami's eyes. She immediately dropped to her feet and moved to pick up a nearby shell. "I was just-" Whatever Tsukiko was going to say next turned into a squeak of surprise as the shell turned out to belong to a less than amused hermit crab. The maroon-haired girl tossed the unlucky crab aside. It nearly bonked Sirius on the nose as it landed before scuttling away, pincers up. "Oh no… I'm so sorry, Sirius!"

Sirius gave Tsukiko their best 'I'm not fussed at all' expression.

"Don't worry." Nanami said. "Siri's way too big-hearted to get angry over much." She turned her attentions to Yuzuki. "Anyway, I think I know what I'm going to make – and who I'm making it for. But what about you, Yuzuki?"

"Obviously, I'll make something nice for Robin." Yuzuki said. "But I want to make another piece for Haruno-san as well. It's a little tradition of ours."

"She's your servant, right?" Tsukiko said. "But, it seems like it goes a bit further than that."

"It does." Yuzuki said. She sighed nostalgically, staring out at the ocean. "Haruno-san came to work for my family when I was seven years old. They had commissioned many paintings from her husband, and after his passing, I suppose they sort of took her under their wing. She was such a quiet, sad woman back then. And being a child, I couldn't really understand her sadness. I just wanted her to stop being so sad. So, one day, when we were vacationing here-"

 _"It's for you, Haruno-san!" Yuzuki said as she offered her maid a clumsily-made seashell necklace. "I made it from the prettiest shells on the beach! So, don't be sad, okay?"_

 _Haruno stared at the small child who was looking up at her hopefully with shining eyes. She accepted Yuzuki's gift with a trembling hand before she burst into tears._

 _"I'm sorry!" Yuzuki squeaked. "I didn't mean to make you cry, Haruno-san!"_

 _"Oh, young mistress." Haruno sniffed as she dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. "Tears aren't only for when you're sad." She smiled tearfully as she donned the necklace Yuzuki had given her. "I'm sorry to trouble you so. And thank you for the gift. I'll find a way to repay you."_

"She created her first painting not long after that." Yuzuki said. "Those more abstract pieces around this estate? Haruno-san created those. She paints them from the heart. But… I'll leave the rest of the story to her, if she's up to telling it."

"I look forwards to hearing it, if she wishes to share." Nanami said. "And to exploring this beach! I can't wait to try on the new swimsuit Tsubasa helped me pick out and swim in the ocean! Maybe out to the cove Haruno-san mentioned. Perhaps we could look for treasure, Tsukiko! Maybe we'll get to swim with dolphins, or see some tropical fish, or…" She sighed happily. "I just really love the ocean! Almost as much as I love libraries."

"It is quite wonderful out here, isn't it?" Yuzuki said. "And…" She smiled knowingly at Nanami. "If you're going to enjoy the beach, you have to visit the cape down the way. Robin and I shared our first kiss there, you know. If there's a girl you like, you should consider taking her there."

"Well, there _is_ a girl I like." Nanami said as she looked aside, her glasses fogging up slightly. "I just don't know if she would…" She trailed off, having noticed that Sirius was standing at attention, their ears and tail alert. "Hm? Siri? What is it?"

Sirius did not answer. They didn't have to. Moments later, Kohaku's group came into view from a little further up the coastline. All four girls seemed in high spirits, and the reason for that rapidly became clear to Nanami and the others, once they drew close enough. A small gaggle of cats of all sizes and colors had accompanied the group. Some were happily playing with Irene as she teased them with a strand of grass, others were being cuddled by and fussed over by Yuu and Kohaku, the former of whom had one black shorthair all but draped over her shoulders, and still more were meowing insistently at Robin.

"Oh… it's a cat family!" Tsukiko said as she drank in the sight with shining eyes. "A huge cat family! Was this the surprise, Himi-san?"

"Indeed it was." Yuzuki said. "Haruno-san discovered there was a small feral population living on this island some time ago. Thanks to the efforts of her and the other staff members who live here, they've become quite acclimated to humans."

Nanami smiled fondly, watching Kohaku playing with the cats. "Having fun, Kohaku?"

"Of course." Kohaku said as she affectionately scratched a gray tabby underneath the chin. "These guys gave everyone a huge scare back in the forest, but in the end, they just wanted attention. And the treats in Robin's pants pocket."

"Y-yeah." Robin looked aside as several cats attempted to climb up her pant leg, insistently meowing for more food. She sported a few scratch marks on her arm. "I underestimated just how hungry they were. Even the sun lapses in judgment sometimes!"

"They're still hungry, it seems." Yuzuki said. "Don't worry – I'll let Haruno-san know posthaste." Even now, she was withdrawing her smartphone from her shoulder bag and texting her maid. "We have plenty of cat treats at the estate, and she can make gourmet cat food later on tonight."

Yuu had not bothered speaking to anyone. That was understandable, Tsukiko mused as she watched her twin sister caught up in playing with the cats, with Irene soon joining in. Her sister, who was actually smiling and laughing. Her sister, who was treating the girl she claimed to see as little more than a means to an end, with genuine warmth and fondness as they fawned over the cats together. Her sister, who looked far more content than she ever had when carrying out Sardonyx's orders.

This was it, Tsukiko told herself. This was the way things should be. This was why she and her siblings had to settle things with Sardonyx posthaste. And this was why Hisao's emotional state worried her terribly. Maybe Yuu was slowly allowing herself to love Earth, but her brother could be a tougher nut to crack. Maybe she and her twin could do something about that. Or maybe that Tsubasa lady could. Hisao did seem to be as fond of her as he was afraid of her.

Nanami moved to sit near Kohaku, sitting her basket of shells down on the ground as a white shorthair curled in her lap. "So…" she said. "Do you have any plans for later? There was something I need to do, but otherwise…"

"You have a nice collection there." Kohaku said. "And I don't think I have many plans right now. There's something I need to do as well, but otherwise, I just want to try and have fun."

"That is the ideal." Nanami said. She moved her hand a bit, so her fingertips were brushing Kohaku's, causing the other girl to flush slightly. "An island vacation with everyone. And a relaxing time with you, Kohaku. I just hope it remains peaceful."

Kohaku mumbled a flustered-sounding "Same here" before she returned to fussing over the cats that had gathered around her.

Nanami smiled warmly as she watched Kohaku playing with the cats, before looking around the area, first at Yuu and Irene, who had since been joined in fussing over the cats by Tsukiko, then at Yuzuki and Robin, who were having an animated back and forth about what kind of fish the cats might prefer, in between stealing not-so-subtle glances at their underclassmen, and finally at Sirius, who was laying nearby, squinting their eyes in contentment as a few cats trundled over or pawed at them.

This peaceful moment wouldn't last. Nothing did. But it was precious in its fleetingness. Someday, she would make even Sardonyx understand that.

* * *

Haruno had certainly made good on her promise to put Hisao and Tsubasa to work. The two had spent the morning chopping vegetables, tenderizing and seasoning meat, and kneading dough under Haruno's supervision. Every now and again, the maid would stop to pick their brains about their respective charges' preference for food or give Hisao constructive criticism, whenever Tsubasa wasn't doing it.

At first, Hisao had felt terribly awkward and out of place in the kitchen. Compared to these two women, he obviously didn't know what he was doing, and he wasn't sure he really cared about it anyway. But soon, he could feel himself growing genuinely invested in helping with tonight's meal. By the time Haruno had concluded that he and Tsubasa had done enough to help out here and could proceed to the orchard, Hisao had decided that maybe cooking was actually a bit fun."

"Nice going, Hoshikawa-san!" Tsubasa told him as the two headed out to the orchard, baskets in hand. "You said you were a total amateur, but you picked everything up super-quickly. You might have a future in the kitchen!"

"You really think so?" asked Hisao, who knew full well he had no future as anything but a frozen husk in Sardonyx's ideal world. "Guess you learn something new about yourself every day."

From there, Hisao had been made to run around with a basket while Tsubasa had the time of her life showing off just how well she could scale a tree and toss the fruit from the branches – accurately enough to make the basket and yet gingerly enough to avoid bruising the fruit. It was quite the workout but seeing Tsubasa enjoying herself so thoroughly and praise him for being such great help did feel gratifying somehow. It almost made him forget that this was the same woman who had unhesitatingly attacked him twice… and that he ultimately had no business buying into her words of encouragement.

Once the pair had returned with the fruit, Haruno had set them to work cleaning and preparing it, before pointing them towards a storage room where diving equipment and the like could be found. She wanted fresh fish for tonight's dinner, and she was wondering if one or both of them was up for spear-fishing. Hisao hadn't been, but Tsubasa had gotten a hungry gleam in her eyes at the mention of it.

So, Hisao had ended up standing on the deck of one of the several boats the Himi family kept around here, taking in the sight of the ocean, experiencing the feeling of riding on a boat for the first time, and cleaning and storing the freshly-speared sea life that Tsubasa occasionally proudly surfaced with.

"My, I've never seen anyone so gung-ho about spear-fishing before." Haruno said as Tsubasa returned to the water, right on the heels of presenting Hisao with her latest kill. "My coworkers have offered to teach the young mistress, but she's too squeamish for such things."

"I'm not surprised." Hisao said. "Aozora-san's a very spirited woman. No wonder she's not bothered by this."

"She is spirited, yes." Haruno said with a soft laugh. "And very kind and firm as well. No wonder those girls respect her so much." She smiled warmly. "I'm so glad you all came to this island. The young mistress was so lonely for so many years, and even someone like myself could only do so much about it. To think, she would have so many friends about – and that I would find myself two excellent assistants!"

Haruno was positively glowing… as was her Roaring Spark. Hisao felt his stomach twist seeing that. So, that was it. He'd have to deal with her next. It wasn't like he wanted to, but if he didn't… Sardonyx would…

"Huh? Hoshikawa-san?" Tsubasa clambered up onto the boat's deck. "You seasick or something?"

Hisao swallowed nervously. "Y-yeah, a bit." he muttered, scratching the back of his neck. "Sorry for not saying anything. Didn't want to ruin things for you two."

"You haven't ruined a thing!" said Haruno, who would have likely changed her tune, had she been aware of Hisao's plans for her. "You two have done enough here. Please, take a break for now."

So, Hisao and Tsubasa were doing just that, relaxing atop a hill with iced coffees the latter had prepared as they watched the girls and Sirius playing together. They seemed to be playing a kickball, although between half the group's obviously shaky knowledge of the game and the occasional interference of the handful of cats present at the scene, the game was quickly descending into chaos. Not that any of the girls seemed to care. Even Yuu was getting caught up in the fun – and that had to be the most shocking thing Hisao had seen in a long time. She had been so standoffish and serious, and yet here she was, brushing off her attempt at kicking a goal being derailed by a cat attacking the ball and bursting into laughter alongside her sister.

"It's nice, isn't it? Seeing them all so happy." Tsubasa said. "I imagine that's gotta go double for you. Your sisters were so solemn when I first met them. And now here they are, getting along so well with everybody else."

"I guess it does." Hisao said. He wished the sight filled him with joy, but really, it just made him nervous. "They really have changed a lot since we've moved here." And not for the better, as far as Sardonyx had been concerned.

 _"Hm? You three are going on a vacation?"_

 _"Hey, it's just for the weekend, Lady Sardonyx." Agate had told her. "This guy's not a guy who'd up and abandon his boss! And neither are those two. We're just taking advantage of an opportunity to take down Pretty Cure. That's all."_

 _Sardonyx didn't look at all satisfied by Agate's explanation. "Oh? You sound so certain of your sisters' motives, Agate."_

 _Agate tried to seem oblivious. But he felt his heart sink the moment Sardonyx spoke. He knew what she meant. He had not missed the signs. It was clear that Selenite had grown attached to Earth, and he was beginning to suspect that Tourmaline might have as well. And that meant…_

 _"I can't tell what you're thinking. But I feel your hearts drifting away from me, Agate. And I can't say I like it."_

 _"R-right, that's…" Part of Agate wished he could say something against Sardonyx. If his little sisters were happier this way, then it wasn't right for him to interfere. But, if they carried on like this, they would never be able to feel anything again. "They're my responsibility, Lady Sardonyx. As the eldest sibling-"_

 _"You'll remind them of their duties? So my hand won't be forced?" Sardonyx looked a bit distressed at that last part. It soon passed. "You know the consequences, Agate."_

 _"Sure, sure, that's right." said Agate, cursing his inability to do anything but blindly obey all the while. "Wouldn't want to let you down."_

That was right… the only way the three of them could exist was if they carried out Sardonyx's will to the end. Doing that wasn't living, not like this was. But, it was surviving. And if that was all that Hisao and his siblings could settle for, so be it. He had to keep telling himself that.

"You know," Tsubasa said after taking a long sip of her iced coffee, "I know you've done nothing about that job hunt. Obviously, I'm not gonna pressure you. But, you said you were those two's legal guardian, right?"

"That's right." Hisao said, like the liar he was. "We have our benefactor, but I'm really the only close adult in their lives."

Tsubasa nodded. "Then… look, I know this sounds asinine, but if you want to help protect their happiness, you've gotta get yourself out of your pit Hoshikawa-san." She looked out towards where the girls were playing. At this point, they seemed to have completely lost track of their game. Not that anyone present cared. "It's easy for me to preach. I wasn't responsible for anyone when I was at my lowest. But I am now. And there are days where I have to try and stay above water, so I can be there for those two."

Hisao looked aside sharply. "They might be younger than me, but Yuu and Tsukiko are pretty resilient girls. They won't-"

"They're _children_ , Hisao. No matter how mature they act, they still need adults like us to look out for them."

Hisao's form tensed. Part of him wanted to blow up at Tsubasa right there. She was speaking about what she didn't know again. No matter how nice it felt to see the twins so content, and no matter how alike he and Tsubasa were, letting his sisters do as they pleased would lead to the three's swift destruction, and no amount of self-righteous preaching from this woman would change that.

But… at the same time, the thought of putting an end to this made him feel terribly guilty. Tsukiko had always seemed quietly miserable back then, and Yuu's willingness to subject herself to severe injury or even death just for a sliver of approval from Lady Sardonyx had eaten at him like acid. They were better off living like normal girl. They deserved this happiness. And here he was, thinking about taking it away, all because he was too much of a coward to even try defying Lady Sardonyx. But, if he did…

…but then, Pretty Cure was perfectly willing to help the three of them. But then, it was foolish to hope that would save any of them… right?

"I guess you're right." Hisao let himself relax ever so slightly. And Tsubasa was. He would admit that. But that didn't mean that he wasn't trapped. "Once we get back to Seizato, I promise to try again." He grinned. It wasn't genuine, but he faked it well. "Hey, with my skills, I could get a job as a cook, right?"

"You'd be one hell of a cook." Tsubasa said with a firm nod. "And hey – if Shooting Star ever needs an extra set of hands, you'll totally be the first person I consider." she added wryly. "Again – the first steps you take will have to be on your own. Just try to remember, it's not all about you, alright?"

Hisao nodded halfheartedly as he watched his sisters enjoying themselves with the others. It was a nice notion… but could he even get away with taking those steps in the first place?

* * *

Haruno had wasted no time in ensuring the cats were fed and well taken care of, once Yuzuki had alerted her to their hunger.

"Well, that's one crisis averted." Yuzuki said as she and the others took in the sight of numerous well-fed cats lounging about and purring contentedly. "There's no need to worry too much about them – Haruno-san always makes sure they're safe. So… what do you all want to do next?"

That kicked off the start of what was shaping up to be a marvelous two-day vacation. The group had temporarily parted ways – Tsukiko, Nanami, and Yuzuki to make seashell jewelry, Robin, Yuu, and Irene to continue playing with the cats, and Kohaku and Sirius to make "something secret" – before regrouping. There, Yuu had been gifted a blue seashell bracelet to go with Tsukiko's white one, something she wore with pride throughout the rest of the day, before Robin proposed everyone play what had started as a game of kickball before rapidly devolving into a chaotic mess.

"So, who won?" Tsubasa, who had been watching their 'game' alongside Hisao asked as she approached the group.

Nanami and Kohaku glanced at one another. "We don't know." they chorused.

Most everyone was laughing and joking about the failed kickball game after the fact. Yuu and Tsukiko weren't. The sisters' euphoria rapidly faded once they noticed how tense their brother looked… and once he caught them staring at him and sharply averted his gaze, it faded away completely. That was not the look of a guiltless man.

Irene pulled gently at Yuu's sleeve. "Something wrong?" she whispered. "You look sick."

"N-no, it's nothing." Yuu said quietly. "Nothing at all."

After a delicious afternoon meal of hand-made sandwiches, everyone had a fun time picking fruit in the orchard until Irene got herself stuck in one of the trees, Robin got herself stuck trying to free her, and Kohaku had to rescue both of them. She had been trembling on the way down – and no wonder, Nanami mused as she flew to her partner's side and quietly consoled her, considering what had happened the last time someone she knew well climbed too high up a tree.

The group took some time to explore the other natural sights around the island, with Yuzuki making a point of guiding everyone through the forest and to the summit of the hill. If the view from the rooftop of the Himi family's island estate had been striking, the view from here was downright jaw-dropping. It looked almost like something from one of the storybooks that Nanami had so eagerly consumed as a child. As a princess, she had seen all sorts of locales over her fourteen years, but few of them were as striking at this.

"It really does feel like I'm in a dream." she said quietly.

"If you think it's nice up here now, you have got to see it at night." Robin said. "It's _bellissimo_! Especially when you're with someone you love."

On the last part, Robin tipped a wink at Yuzuki, who smiled warmly in return, and the two Cures looked down at their feet, feeling heat rise to their cheeks as their earlier exchanges with their upperclassmen echoed in their heads.

"It's beautiful, isn't it, Yuu?" Tsukiko asked her sister, who was staring intently at the scenery, as if engraving it into her mind. "I'm sure you're enjoying being so close to the sky."

"It is nice." Yuu said. "I guess I wouldn't mind living like this. But Hisao…"

"Yeah." Tsukiko said quietly. She felt Kohaku's eyes on her and her sister for a moment. Yuu didn't seem to notice. "I wanted to believe he was finding his own answer, but…"

Once the novelty of exploring the island had worn off, Yuzuki had invited everyone back inside the estate and introduced them to its personal arcade, where Kohaku proved to be surprisingly adept at Dance Dance Revolution, and Yuu proved to be incredibly bent on beating her at it. As the pair, who proved evenly matched, competed until they threatened to wear themselves out, with Robin and Irene acting as cheerleaders, Yuzuki introduced Nanami and Tsukiko to rhythm games and once that lost its luster, fighting games. For such a proper girl, Yuzuki proved surprisingly skilled at them.

And finally, the evening rolled around, and it was time for the dinner that Haruno, Tsubasa, and Hisao had worked so hard on. There was a sizable deck outside the island estate's first floor, which gave all present a clear view of the ocean. The three adults had ended up setting out a veritable buffet for everyone on the tables arranged around said deck. There was plenty of grilled and marinated seafood, a variety of fresh-baked bread, a generous selection of vegetable dishes, helpings of fresh fruit, and a wide number of delectable-looking pastries, among other things.

"Look at all this food!" Kohaku's eyes widened as she drank in the sight of the dishes in front of her. "I don't know where to start first!"

"Aozora-san tells me that you're quite the cook, Shishioh-san." said Haruno, as she approached the group. "Hearing you approve of the food already is quite flattering."

"Th-thank you…" Kohaku sputtered as she turned red.

Soon, everyone was seated at the numerous tables around the deck and tucking into the food. Well, almost everyone. Sirius was conspicuously absent – Nanami had assembled a meal for them, and they had traveled further up the beach to eat it. She couldn't judge them for that – perpetually unflappable as the librarian was, they clearly wanted a break from eating like an animal in front of others. She would have to ask them how they enjoyed the food later.

"This is so good!" Tsukiko chirped between bites of her fish. "You really made this, big bro?"

Hisao, who was half assembling his own plate and half snatching the occasional glance at Haruno's Roaring Spark, looked aside. "I wouldn't go _that_ far." he said. "Compared to those two, I didn't really do all that much. They had to hold my hand through half of it too."

"Please." said Tsubasa, who was assembling her own plate. "For a first-timer, you did amazing. There's no need to keep self-deprecating, Hoshikawa-san!"

Hisao smiled thinly in response. But his eyes were hollow, and his poise suggested anything but pride. Neither Yuu nor Tsukiko missed that.

"It's delicious." whispered Irene, who was sitting next to Yuu. "Even the cats are eating well. I'm glad…"

Indeed, a handful of the island's cats were eating from – and occasionally squabbling over platefuls of gourmet cat food, hand-cooked by Haruno.

"They deserve it." Yuu said. "Cats are pure. They deserve everything good."

"All animals do." Irene replied quietly, grinning at Yuu's nod of agreement. "We agree on so much... hope we're friends forever."

Yuu froze mid-bite. For a moment, she considered glancing into Irene's heart and deciding whether to give her answer then and there. But instead, she bit back the temptation and nodded stiffly.

"I don't think I've ever enjoyed such a pleasant meal here." Yuzuki said warmly. "Or had so much fun on this island before! Truly… thank you all for coming here!"

"And thank you for inviting us." Nanami replied. "It has been so nice, being given this much freedom… and I believe we've strengthened our bonds with one another that much more!"

"Well, this is truly an island where hearts are united." Robin said. "They're warmed by the rays of the sun and drawn together by the magnetic pull of the moon!" She glanced quizzically at her girlfriend. "The moon has a magnetic pull, right, Yuzu?"

"Gravitational, you utter goof." Yuzuki laughed, gently nudging her suddenly-flustered girlfriend in the shoulder.

Nanami and Kohaku glanced at one another and then looked away, both flushing. They knew exactly what Robin was trying to get at. Neither of their upperclassmen had been exactly subtle about all of this.

But… Nanami found herself worrying that by saying anything, she would be being overbearing. That she could potentially be imposing too much on Kohaku, and only a few months after they had rekindled their friendship.

And... Kohaku found herself worrying that Nanami might think she was overstepping her boundaries. Even if they were partners, there was such a huge gap in rank, and then… then there was that ugly voice buried in the back of her head, the one that told her she was asking for far too much from her princess.

Both girls did their best to push the matter out of their heads, so they could enjoy dinner properly. It was much harder to do than either would have liked.

Everyone continued conversing into the evening. Yuu picked Yuzuki's brain for ghost-hunting tips in between snarking at Kohaku for having to blow on her food and Kohaku snarking right back at Yuu for being so keyed-up about ghosts. Tsukiko eagerly chatted with Nanami about her activities at the hospital and plans for the future, in between both girls fussing over the cats, many of which had finished their meal and gone looking for attention. And Robin and Irene shared a quiet sisterly heart-to-heart that rapidly turned into a mock swordfight waged with eating utensils.

As this went on, Hisao, who had since finished eating his meal, stood back and took in the sight of the girls. Seeing all of them enjoying his food made his heart sing, but the pain of remembering that he would have to destroy that too negated any pleasant feelings that realization brought.

 _"What do you want to do, Hisao?"_ Tsukiko had asked him that shortly before they left for the island. _"I know what I really want, and I think Yuu does too… but what about you? You can't want to destroy all of this!"_

After today, part of Hisao was certain he had found his answer. But, he reminded himself as Tsubasa approached him, it didn't matter. Let his sisters forget that for a time. He couldn't. He wasn't allowed to.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Tsubasa asked. "Creating meals that bring this much joy to people. I'm wondering if you feel like I felt, back when I got good at making coffee for everyone."

"Maybe." Hisao said. "To be honest, I'm not a guy who feels strongly about much, outside of my sisters. And your coffee, I guess. But this… there's a part of me that's going 'This is it. This is worth doing.' It's nice."

Not that it mattered. Not that anything they wanted mattered. Not that the three of them could change their destiny, no matter how they felt about it.

"Then, you should keep working towards that." Haruno said as she approached the two. "I'm sure it will be difficult. Heaven knows I've had my own struggles. But if you can find something to hold onto, life becomes a bit easier." She smiled fondly as she glanced towards Yuzuki, who was animatedly recounting ghost stories to Yuu, apparently oblivious to how spooked Yuu was. "That's why I've devoted myself to the young mistress. And to my artwork. Anything that gives you a reason to wake up in the morning."

Hisao was silent for some time in the wake of Haruno's words before he moved to leave.

"Where are you off to, Hoshikawa-san?" Tsubasa asked.

"Nowhere particular." Hisao said. "Just need a bit of air. I'll be back later to help clean up."

And then Hisao was gone. It took some time for his sisters to realize he had taken off, and even more time for the Cures to notice his absence. Once the twins did pick up on it, they felt their hearts sink, and both Cures felt something churn within them at the twins' discomfited expressions. And Tsubasa looked nothing short of tense as she stared after Hisao. The part of her that was still the Blue Hurricane was keyed up for a potential fight. She couldn't say she liked the feeling much.

"Hoshikawa-san… jut what are you planning?" she muttered.

* * *

Tsukiko, much like her other siblings, did not require sleep. But sleeping made her feel so much more human, and the bed in her bedroom was so warm and comfortable, a far cry from the cold and unwelcoming beds in that nameless castle. So, by all rights, it should have been easy to snuggle down into her bed, with its plush-feeling mattress and warm bedclothes and drift off to sleep.

Unfortunately, the younger twin had a great deal on her mind, most of it concerning Hisao. Her brother had returned to help clean up, moments before Sirius had bounded back into view. On the surface he had seemed fine, but there was a weird tension buzzing underneath his placid surface. It didn't escape the twins in the slightest.

Hisao had not pulled anything for the rest of the night. And for a time, the twins found themselves able to forget about their brother's clear ill mood as Yuzuki invited everyone to the group's home theatre for a popcorn party. The group had ended up watching a romance film, after Robin had wisely talked Yuzuki out of a horror movie. Even Tsubasa dropped by to watch for a while. Haruno and Hisao never showed. But, the twins felt no presence of an Utsuroid, and so they allowed themselves to relax… until the credits had finally rolled.

The sisters had caught up with Hisao right after they had prepared for bed. But, he had been adamant that their concern wasn't warranted.

 _"Listen, I'm fine."_ he had firmly informed the twins. _"You guys don't need to turn yourselves into pretzel knots for this guy. Everything's alright."_

Tsukiko didn't believe that. She didn't really believe that she could stop Hisao, any more than she had been able to stop Yuu, but. She had to try. So, after what seemed like a small eternity of staring ineffectually up at the ceiling, Tsukiko slipped out of bed and into her slippers, padded out of her bedroom, and approached Hisao's door before gently knocking on it.

"Big bro?"

Silence. Tsukiko pushed experimentally on the door. It swung inwards, revealing an undisturbed bed and a complete lack of Hisao.

Tsukiko immediately beelined towards Yuu's room. She made sure to knock as quietly as she could – Yuu was likely awake, but Irene had insisted on sharing a bed with Yuu out of fear of the island's ghosts, and Tsukiko didn't want to wake her up. Indeed, when her pajama-clad sister answered the door, Tsukiko could see Irene gently snoring in bed behind her.

"Hm? What is it, Tsukiko?"

"Big bro's gone."

Yuu facepalmed. "That _idiot_." she hissed. "Does he want our identities exposed?"

The twins combed the island estate as best as they could, given their dual fears of waking anyone else up and being too late to stop their brother from pulling anything. But their cursory search turned up no sign of their brother. So Yuu proposed combing the area outside of the estate for a while. It was the dead of night, but neither sister was worried about that. They could see just fine in the dark, and if not, well, Tsukiko had her control over light. It would be handy for fending off ghosts too, Yuu reminded herself.

As it turned out, the twins would have plenty of natural light to travel by. The moment they slipped outside, they were greeted by a striking sight. The moon looked more radiant than before, and the midnight blue sky was lit by a luminous tapestry of stars. It was nothing like any of the night skies the sisters had seen before.

"The sky is radiant tonight." Yuu said rapturously, her visible eye reflecting the stars. "I didn't know it could look so beautiful."

"I've never seen such a lovely moon." Tsukiko sounded equally rapturous. "And the stars are…" She shook her head. "Looking at this, looking at everything around this island… thinking about the time we spent here… I wonder why I ever wanted to destroy it."

Yuu fell silent. She was quiet for a long time as the sisters combed the island before she spoke.

"Tsukiko… you realize I'm not on their side, right? I'm doing this because of you." She paused to grab a handful of sand from the beach, taking a moment to stare down sadly at it before using her powers to send it blowing away into the distance. "I don't want to fight my sister. And maybe I care about this world a little. But if we cannot convince Lady Sardonyx…"

Tsukiko shook her head. She summoned several silver wisps of light, which danced around her sister like fireflies, bringing a small smile to Yuu's lips. They remained for a few moments as the sisters continued to travel before they finally vanished into the night.

"There's your smile." Tsukiko said. "There's no need to be sad, Yuu. We'll convince Lady Sardonyx. Just like we'll convince big bro. It will turn out alright in the end. And then… maybe we can live in this world together. You want that, don't you?"

For a moment, Yuu looked like she was ready to reply with one of her characteristic refusals. But finally, the elder twin sighed in resignation and nodded.

"It would be nice." she said. "Maybe I do enjoy this world and some of the people here. And... I don't think I want to go after Irene anymore."

"Or anyone else, right?"

"As long as I don't have to." Yuu replied. "If only I could believe _he_ felt the same way…"

Yuu trailed off into silence as she spotted two figures heading towards the cape in the distance. For a moment, her form was trembling every step of the way, and she was muttering about ghosts under her breath… until she and Tsukiko drew a bit closer and realized who the figures were.

"Pretty Cure?" Yuu said quizzically. "What are they…?" Her form instinctively tensed as she hit on an answer to their own question. "Hisao, I assume."

Tsukiko nodded. "He might have challenged them. Or they might be trying to stop him. Either way…"

The twins nodded at one another before heading further down the beach.

* * *

Sleep had also been eluding Nanami that night. Part of this had to do with Sirius – the librarian, who was currently snoozing gently in the bed Haruno had prepared for them, had been noticeably pensive after that evening's dinner, and although they had denied that anything was wrong, Nanami could not believe that. But a much larger part of it had to do with what her upperclassmen had said, and how that tied into her relationship with Kohaku. Even now, she wanted to say something to her partner. She still had yet to give her the gift she had made. But…

…after what felt like a small eternity of sleepless worrying, Nanami slipped out of bed, pulled on her robe and slippers, pocketed her gift to Kohaku, along with her Roaring Compact, and slipped out the door. Waiting wasn't going to change anything. She needed to act. And something told her that Kohaku might have had the same idea. After all…

 _"If there's a girl you like, you should consider taking her there."_

…she did not doubt that Kohaku had been told the same thing. And although she was certain that her partner was plagued by worries of her own on this front, perhaps moreso than she was, she wanted to believe she would be waiting for her. That she felt the same way. She certainly had not missed the signs. And hopefully, Kohaku had not either.

Indeed, Kohaku was nowhere to be found in her bedroom. Her bed was unmade, as if she had left it in a hurry. And when Nanami slipped out of the island estate and towards the cape, marveling inwardly at the beauty of the night sky all the while, she found her partner already halfway there. The two girls froze in their tracks and stared at one another for a moment before Kohaku spoke.

"Are you sure you're alright, going out like that? You might catch cold."

"I'll be alright." Nanami replied. "After all, I have someone who can keep me warm. So, are we…"

Kohaku, now visibly flustered, nodded. "I knew you'd be here too. And that…" She took a moment to cast about for the right words before she gave up and offered Nanami her hand. "Let's go, Nanami!"

Nanami accepted Kohaku's hand without hesitation. "Okay, Kohaku!"

The pair made their way to the cape, hand in hand, their path lit by starlight. Once they finally arrived, Nanami felt her breath catch in her throat a little. This truly was a beautiful place. The raised, almost crescent-shaped cliff they stood on gave the pair a beautiful view of the ocean, which caught the moonlight beautifully, and the night sky, which looked more striking and radiant than any other. The ocean air was a bit cool, but it also felt oddly comforting, as it gently stirred Nanami's wavy violet hair, making it move as gently as the ocean's waves. And the atmosphere here was… Nanami could understand why Yuzuki and Robin considered this a romantic spot. It really was one. Like something out of a storybook, almost.

Neither girl spoke for some time. They remained where they were, their hands intertwined, as they drank in the scenery around them. Kohaku was the first to break the silence.

"You know…" she said. "I've always thought your hair looked really pretty in the moonlight, Nanami. Especially when it's worn down like that. It's… really nice." Moments after she spoke, she withdrew her hand and looked aside sharply. "That's… probably an awkward way to start this, but…"

"No, it isn't!" Nanami said. "It makes me really happy to hear that, Kohaku!" At her partner's relieved expression, she added "For what it's worth… I've always thought you were really handsome! In fact, you're one of the most beautiful girls I've ever met – inside and out!"

Kohaku looked like she was in danger of burning up from within. It was clear that words had failed the taller girl yet again, and after a moment of ineffectual flailing, she settled for withdrawing something from the front pocket of her pajamas. It was a pink flower pendant, which had been lovingly hand made. Once Nanami gave her an unspoken go-head, she gingerly placed it around her partner's neck.

"I saw a flower like this growing in the forest." Kohaku said. "I didn't want to take its life, so I tried my best to recreate it. I hope it's alright."

"It's more than alright, Kohaku!" Nanami said. "I love it – and I do hope I wear it well." At Kohaku's nod, she added "I have something for you as well. Hold out your hand, please."

Kohaku did just that. Nanami reached into her robe's pocket and retrieved a hand-made ring, inset with gold and orange seashells. She gently guided it onto Kohaku's ring finger, smiling brightly when it proved to be a perfect fit.

"I'm glad." Nanami said. "I was a bit worried I wouldn't size it correctly, but it appears my fears were unfounded. Do you like it?"

Kohaku appeared on the edge of tears as she took in the sight of the ring on her finger. "It's perfect, Nanami. Thank you."

As the ocean's waves crashed against the cape, and the stars shined beautifully in the sky, Nanami gazed into Kohaku's eyes and gingerly took her by the hand.

"I remember you saying you loved me, back in the forest." she said. "That you wanted to be with me. And I never addressed it properly after the fact. I apologize sincerely for that."

"It's alright!" Kohaku said. "At the time, I… I spoke without thinking, and… after everything that happened afterwards, I would never…!"

Nanami shook her head firmly. "No, I owe it to you to respond, Kohaku. After all, I have always…" She paused, steeling herself visibly. "I have wanted to say this for a while, but I was afraid of how to bring it up. It hasn't been that long since we repaired things between us. And even if my status means nothing here, I am still your princess. I would never want to impose-"

"But you aren't imposing!" Kohaku said. "I've liked you for a while now! Even before all of this! You're such a lovely person, and I've never been happier than when I was with you! I didn't think I deserved to tell you that sort of thing… not for a long time. But if you think it's okay, then… then I also want to…"

Kohaku trailed off into silence for a long time, her anxiety buzzing terribly in the pit of her stomach. But finally, the levees on her heart broke, and she spoke.

"Nanami… would it be alright if I kissed you?"

Without hesitation, Nanami leaned towards Kohaku, standing on her tip-toes so she could better meet her partner's face.

"You may."

Both girls moved in for the kiss, after some hesitation. It was clear that neither quite knew what they were doing and that both were afraid of messing it up. But the warmth that radiated through their bodies and into their hearts once their lips touched more than made up for the anxiety both had been feeling.

Once Nanami and Kohaku parted, the two had a moment to stare into one another's eyes, both Cures flailing internally over what they had just done, before the sound of movement caught Kohaku's ears. Immediately, the taller girl's bodyguard instincts took over. She assumed a defensive stance in front of Nanami as the interlopers came into view.

"Yuu? Tsukiko?" Nanami, now visibly flustered, said. "What are you two doing out at this hour?"

"I could ask you the same." Yuu said. If she noticed or cared about what the Cures had been up to, she gave no indication. "Have you seen Hisao?"

Kohaku had relaxed slightly, but she was still on guard. "No, we haven't." she said. "Did something happen?"

Tsukiko nodded. "He's gone missing from his room, and we can't find him. I'm worried that-"

"Oh, there you two are!"

Before Tsukiko could finish her sentence, Robin, Yuzuki, and Irene came into view. The fencing team captain looked as if she were in danger of falling asleep on her feet, and was leaning heavily on her girlfriend, even as Irene clung to her older sister like a limpet… before promptly abandoning her in favor of Yuu, who she pulled into a tight hug. Once the upperclassmen realized that Nanami and Kohaku were also present, they looked immediately apologetic.

"Oh dear." Yuzuki said. "Nanami, Kohaku, I'm so sorry! We had no intention of interrupting! The two of us were looking for Yuu – we didn't know…"

"Yeah, you kind of… vanished on Reenie?" Robin told Yuu after a muffled yawn. "Yuu-chi, that wasn't very nice!"

Yuu looked just a little cowed. "Sorry." she told Irene, who was proving to have an unusually tight grip. "Won't do it again."

"Please don't." whispered Irene. "I need you to protect me from…"

Irene trailed off into silence as her attention – and the attention of most everyone else present - was drawn towards a small light bobbing further down the coast, almost like a will-o'-the-wisp. Immediately, the young girl began clinging even tighter to Yuu, her form trembling like a leaf.

Yuu's pupils shrank in fear. "There it is…" she said quietly. "The island's ghost!" She looked towards her twin, her gaze desperate. "Quick, Tsukiko! You need to take it down!"

"H-huh?" Tsukiko was visibly taken aback by her sister's sudden shift in demeanor. "Yuu, I can't just-!"

Before anyone present could panic further, Yuzuki cut them off with a raised hand. "Everyone… there's no need to be afraid! It's simply Haruno-san. The night sky is so beautiful at this hour – it's only understandable that she would come out here to paint." She started off towards the source of the light. "Come on, everyone – I'm sure she'd appreciate an audience."

"Yeah…" Robin muttered. "She's great. Haruno-san's great." She cast an apologetic glance towards Nanami and Kohaku. "You guys are great too. I'll try to make it up to you later."

And then Yuzuki and Robin had taken off into the night, the latter still leaning on the former. Everyone else present hesitated momentarily before they followed after them. Nanami and Kohaku brought up the rear, their hearts pounding softly in their chests as they traveled hand in hand. No… the night air didn't feel cold at all anymore.

* * *

The group arrived further down the coast to find that Haruno was indeed getting ready to paint. She had set up an easel and her art supplies, along with a stand for her electric lantern – the source of the 'ghost light'. The girls watched in rapturous silence as she began to work, apparently oblivious to her audience, beginning to create a bold and abstract piece clearly inspired by the beautiful night sky before her. She plugged away for several moments before she finally spoke.

"My, I didn't know my little hobby was that interesting." she said without looking up from her paints. "Did you invite everyone to watch me, young mistress? I'm flattered, but you children shouldn't be awake at this hour. You won't have any energy tomorrow, if you carry on like this."

"I'm very sorry, Haruno-san." Yuzuki said. "I knew you'd likely want to paint this sort of sky, and I couldn't resist watching you… or find it in myself to leave everyone else out."

"That's perfectly understandable, young mistress." Haruno said. "I suppose I could let you all watch me for a bit. But please try to return to bed at a decent hour." She continued to work before casting a glance at Nanami, who had been carefully scrutinizing her technique. "I'm sure I seem strange, being out here with my paints at this hour, but this is one of my greatest passions. A person needs something to hold onto."

"Yuzuki told me something like that." Nanami said as she cuddled closer to Kohaku. "That you took up painting after…"

"…after my husband passed, yes." Haruno paused from her work and took a moment to stand back from her easel. "I loved him dearly. I invested my heart in our love together and devoted my energy to helping him see his dreams through. When he was taken from me, I felt as if I had lost everything. My heart, my dreams, my will to go on. Even after the young mistress' family took me in and gave me a means to support myself, it just wasn't the same."

Both twins felt something twist within them as Haruno spoke. This was just as Sardonyx had always preached, wasn't it? Haruno sounded like a walking case study in why everyone was better without their Roaring Sparks. But… something told the two sisters that this wasn't the whole of it.

"I closed my heart off for a long time after that. What good was it to feel anything if happiness was so ephemeral? What good was it to have dreams if they could be crushed so easily? I thought it would be better if I felt nothing. If I believed in nothing. And so, I tried to live like that for a long time."

"But obviously, that changed at some point." Kohaku said. "You don't sound like a woman who believes in nothing."

"That's right." Haruno said. "It started when the young mistress presented me with a handmade gift out of worry. The young mistress' parents are away for most of the year. So much of her life has been planned for her. And she was asked to shoulder a weighty family legacy from the moment she was born. And yet, all she could think about was my own welfare."

"Haruno-san…" Yuzuki said quietly.

Haruno offered Yuzuki a heartfelt smile. "I owe you so much, young mistress." she said. "After that act, I resolved to do something about my depression, so I could be there for you. Maybe I couldn't make it go away, but perhaps I could do something with the pain I felt. And so, I put my feelings to canvas for the first time."

 _"It's beautiful, Haruno-san!" Yuzuki said as she took in her maid's first attempt at a painting. "I like how it looks dark and scary, but you can see a bit of light shining. And that's a little moonflower growing, isn't it?" She grinned. "Like me! Please make more of these! You have a talent for them!"_

 _"Do you really think so?" Haruno said as she stepped back and took in her handiwork. She hadn't thought much of this visual recreation of her despair – and the hope Yuzuki brought her when she was painting it, but looking at it now… "Perhaps I will, young mistress. Perhaps I will."_

"It's been several years since then. I've had time to hone my craft and watch the young mistress grow into a fine young woman." Haruno said as she returned to her painting. "And I have learned that even if your heart is broken, even if your dreams are shattered, you still have yourself."

A sudden ocean wind blew as the twins' eyes widened, Haruno's words echoing in their minds. This really did fly right in the face of what Sardonyx had always preached. And if there were humans in this world like Haruno, it really made the campaign they had waged on their leader's behalf even more worthless.

"People are more resilient than I thought." Yuu said quietly. "I thought it was over when a dream was crushed."

Tsukiko nodded. "I was taught it'd be better if no one could get hurt." she said. "It still feels strange, thinking otherwise…"

"You shouldn't feel bad for thinking like that." Haruno said. "You two are still young. I didn't realize this until I was an old woman. But… even if happiness is ephemeral, it's still worth cherishing while it's there. Even if things don't work out as you planned, you can always try again. And even if your dreams are ruined, you can always find something new to hold onto."

"Something new to hold onto." Yuu echoed quietly.

"I'd like that." Tsukiko said. She and the rest of the group spent a moment in contemplative silence, watching Haruno continue to plug away at her painting, before she noticed Kohaku had suddenly broken away from Nanami, and was looking around sharply, as if searching for someone. "Kohaku? Is something wrong?" she asked, quietly enough that Haruno couldn't hear her.

Kohaku nodded uncomfortably. "I want to believe it's just me. But I feel like we're being watched."

Both twins felt their hearts sink the moment Kohaku spoke. Because now they felt it too, and they knew exactly who the watcher in question likely was. And if they wanted to avoid blowing their cover, well… it was only a matter of time until this peaceful moment was ruined, wasn't it?

* * *

Kohaku's suspicions were not unfounded. Hisao stood upon the beach cape, his dull copper brown eyes reflecting starlight and his bluish-black hair ruffled by the ocean air as he took in the scene unfolding before him. He couldn't tell what Haruno was saying at this distance, but he could tell it was getting to his sisters. Even now, their hearts were likely drifting further away from Sardonyx. And if he acted now, he wasn't certain they would appreciate it. Their own feeling aside, it wasn't exactly pragmatic, striking in a relatively isolated location like this. But…

Hisao shook his head. "It doesn't matter." he muttered, as he tightened a fist. "If she didn't will it, I don't care."

Before he could do anything more, someone caught him by the arm. Someone with an unusually strong grip.

"You aren't really going to attack her, are you?"

Hisao's eyes flicked towards Tsubasa, who was standing behind him, her royal blue eyes glinting dangerously. He immediately bit back the instinctive rush of panic that boiled up within him at that look. Now was not the time to be afraid of a mere human. And yet…

"Stay out of this.. He sounded far colder than usual. "This has nothing to do with you."

"I'm those two's guardian. This has everything to do with me." Tsubasa fired back. "You're one of the Void Clan's people, aren't you?"

Hisao sharply averted his eyes. "I knew you'd figure it out." he said darkly. "You're too astute for your own good." He suddenly summoned his strength and jerked out of Tsubasa's grasp, sending her staggering backwards a pace or two. "Sorry it had to come to this." As he spoke, bits of soil rose around his form, which rippled and shifted to his Void Clan attire. "Most of what I told you wasn't a lie."

"I figured." Tsubasa said. She looked a bit shaken but otherwise undeterred. "To be honest, I suspected you for a while, ever since we visited Mom's grave together. But I stupidly thought I could inspire you to be better, if you didn't know that I knew."

"You're just like that librarian." Agate sighed. He flashed back to his meeting with Sirius on the beach. They hadn't said anything confrontational – no, they had casually invited him to break bread and asked him what his future vacation plans were, as if they were not an obvious non-human and he wasn't ostensibly a perfectly normal man, but there had been something beneath their cheery demeanor. Something like a plea for him to stop before he went any further. "And it's not like I don't want to listen to you. Or them. But I'm not like you, Tsubasa. I can't be better."

"What a cowardly thing to say, Hisao!" Tsubasa snapped. "You can't just give up! Do you really want to continue like this? Don't you care about your little sisters?"

"Don't preach about what you don't know!" Agate snapped right back. "I'm doing this because I care about them! And because I can't change, no matter how I feel about this! I We'll follow this path until the day we disappear!"

Tsubasa rushed towards Agate, clearly intending to subdue him before he could attack Haruno. The second she drew too close, Agate looked her dead in the eye and stepped backwards, sending him plunging off of the cape. He vanished in a burst of dark orange light mid-freefall, leaving Tsubasa to stare after him in mute distress.

* * *

It didn't matter how alert anyone present was to the impending danger. Everything still happened far too quickly for anyone to react properly. One moment, everyone had been watching Haruno paint, as Robin quietly muttered about maybe getting back to bed, since Irene needed rest. And then Tsubasa's voice had carried towards them, from the cliffs up above.

"Haruno-san! You're in danger!"

and Haruno had looked up in alarm, only to find a circle of dark orange runes at her feet, a sight that drew a gasp of alarm from Yuzuki.

"Please not now… not her." she whispered, clasping a hand to her mouth. "Nanami, Kohaku, _please_ -!"

and then there was a flash of dark orange light and a burst of kicked-up soil, and Agate appeared in front of Haruno. Before anyone present could react, he extended his right hand towards Haruno as the gem on its back glowed.

"Roaring Spark! Come… forth!"

Haruno cried out in pain as her Roaring Spark was ripped out of her chest before blackening and sinking back into it. As with so many victims before, she was swept up in an immense cocoon of dark energy, drawing a cry of distress from Yuzuki, who clung tighter to the suddenly very alert Robin at the sight. As this went on, Yuu and Tsukiko rounded on their brother, both sisters radiating cold fury.

"What is wrong with you?!" Yuu snapped.

"There's no need for this!" said Tsukiko.

Agate stared hollowly at his sisters. There was a time he could have believed that they were putting on a front for the sake of the Void Clan's mission. Not anymore. Not that it mattered.

"This is who I am." he said flatly. "This is all I can be. That can't change."

"Quit excusing yourself!" Kohaku snapped as she stepped forwards. "There's no reason for any of this!"

Nanami took her place besides Kohaku. "Yuzuki, please take everyone to safety." she said. "Don't worry about us – we'll take care of this."

Yuzuki hesitated but only for a moment. "Understood." she said. "Please stay safe, you two!"

And then Yuzuki fled, all but carrying the drowsy Robin and the quietly panicking Irene as she fled. The twins lingered momentarily, looking as if they wanted to say something to the Cures before they too fled. In the process, Yuu's blue seashell bracelet flew off her wrist and hit the sand. She didn't notice.

The cocoon of dark energy surrounding Haruno dissipated to reveal an immense, pitch black humanoid figure that vaguely resembled a stately-dressed young woman and seemed to be composed entirely of paint, rendering its form unstable and ever-shifting. A dark orange gem trimmed with gold laid over its heart, and its empty gold eyes seemed to be in danger of coasting down both sides of its face. Both Cures readied their Roaring Compacts at the sight of it, their eyes shining with resolve.

"Medal, set! Pretty Cure, Roaring Rebirth!"

"Guardian of the ocean that blooms with life! Blossom Knight, Cure Delphinus!"

"Guardian of the wind that sweeps through the plains! Tempest Knight, Cure Leo!"

"The two of us are Pretty Cure!" Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo chorused.

"Those who cruelly meddle with the hearts of others-" Cure Leo said, pointing a finger at Agate.

"We'll put a stop to your actions at once!" Cure Delphinus said, following suit.

Agate had no witty comeback this time around. He simply stared at the pair for a moment before vanishing in a flash of dark orange light and reappearing on the Utsuroid's shoulder. The moment he did, the Utsuroid lunged towards Delphinus and Leo. It was speaking as it did, and although whatever was coming out of what served as its mouth was recognizable as Haruno's voice, neither Cure could understand a word that it was saying. It was as if she was talking through a mouthful of paint.

As the Utsuroid lunged towards Delphinus and Leo, it swept an immense arm towards the pair. A vast number of paint globules detached from said arm before firing towards the Cures like razor-sharp raindrops. Immediately, Delphinus and Leo leapt off the ground in a flash of pink and orange sparkles. The two Cures moved perfectly in sync as they dodged and wove around the paint globules, Delphinus blasting some out of the way with her Blossom Scepter and Leo slashing through still more with her Tempest Sword. Once the Cures drew close enough to the Utsuroid, they nailed it with a synchronized energy-charged kick, sending it reeling backwards and forcing Agate to hold on, lest he be thrown off its shoulder.

"Well, your teamwork has certainly improved." Agate said absently as the two Cures touched back down on the beach in a shower of sparkles.

"Of course it has! We strengthened the power of our bond!" Delphinus said as she assumed a fighting stance. "Our hearts have become closer than ever."

"That's right!" said Leo, who was flushing slightly, even as she also assumed a fighting stance. "There's no defeating our combo!"

Agate looked away sharply. "Wish I could borrow that optimism." he muttered. "Utsuroid!"

The Utsuroid gave a garbled cry as it lunged towards the Cures once more. Immediately, Delphinus and Leo rushed towards it, Melody Arms at the ready as they aimed for the gem on its heart. The second the pair drew too close, the Utsuroid collapsed to the ground in a puddle of paint.

Agate was immediately there to intercept both Cures. He drove an energy-charged jab into Delphinus' stomach, sending her flying backwards along the beach and creating an immense gouge in the shoreline. When Leo slashed at him with her Tempest Sword in retaliation, he unblinkingly lashed his whip towards her sword arm, stopping her attack. Before she could react, he suddenly released her from his hold before hitting her with a burst of earth energy, sending her flying into the air and hitting the ground heavily alongside her partner.

Once Pretty Cure hit the ground, the Utsuroid reared back up and began to fire immense paint globules every which way. Each projectile exploded upon impact, leaving small craters in its wake. These projectiles were wildly aimed – hardly any hit near the Cures, who were struggling to their feet, but the Utsuroid was fast decimating the beach. Judging by how far away some of the projectiles flew and the far-off sound of explosions in the distance, the rest of the island was being fast decimated as well.

Delphinus was immediately on her feet. "Haruno-san, you can't!" she cried. "This is an important place to you! You don't want to destroy it!"

The Utsuroid suddenly ceased its rampage and froze where it was, regarding Delphinus and Leo with empty gold eyes. For a moment, Delphinus was certain that she had gotten through to Haruno… and then the Utsuroid's form melted down before it rushed towards the Cures in a tidal wave of black paint. Leo was by Delphinus' side immediately, both Cures doing their best to support one another as they summoned their combined shield, keeping the encroaching sea of paint at bay.

"How dare you attack on a day like this!" Leo's voice strained with exertion as she fought to keep herself and her partner from being overcome by the wave of paint. "We were having a wonderful time until you came along! I had so much fun on this vaction with everyone! We learned something important from Haruno-san! I was finally able to tell Nanami how I felt!"

"I was able to become better friends with Yuu and Tsukiko! I enjoyed a delicious meal their brother helped prepare! I actually confessed to Kohaku! And you…" Delphinus gritted her teeth as she fought to maintain her shield alongside Leo, even as she stared down Agate. "This can't actually be what you want to do!"

Agate's fist tightened as he stared at the pair with dead eyes. "Does it matter what I want or don't want?" he snapped. "If we don't gather negative energy for Lady Sardonyx, we can't exist! We can't do anything else! We can't be anything else!"

A sphere of dark orange light formed in Agate's hand and bits of sand kicked up and danced around his form as he spoke. For a moment, he looked conflicted over what he was about to do… and then the moment passed, and he threw the sphere towards the ground. It created an immense dark orange shockwave, which kicked up an explosive amount of sand as it rushed towards where the Cures stood. Delphinus and Leo had no way of reacting in time. The shockwave unseated them immediately, causing their shield to shatter as they hit the ground heavily.

Before either Cure could recover, the Utsuroid's now-liquid form rushed towards them. Delphinus and Leo were swept up in a small sea of black paint from the shoulders down. There was no way of freeing themselves from the Utsuroid's form. Their arms were bound, preventing them from attacking. Its form was far too sticky to free them, no matter how much they struggled. And even now, the sea of black was fast rising around them.

"No!" Leo cried as she fought to reach Delphinus, who was trapped a few yards from her and fast vanishing from view. She didn't care that she was sinking as well, or that her struggles to reach her partner were causing her to sink faster. "Nanami!"

"Kohaku!" Delphinus cried in horror. "Kohaku don't, you'll-!"

Up above, on the cliffs of the beach cape, Tourmaline and Selenite regarded what was fast looking like Pretty Cure's final moments. Selenite looked utterly horrified. Tourmaline seemed emotionless on the surface, but a close observer could tell that she was distressed by what was about to occur.

"At this rate, there's no way that Pretty Cure will survive." Selenite said.

"At this rate, Agate will easily kill them." Tourmaline said.

Both twins clenched their fists and narrowed their eyes as they watched Pretty Cure struggle futilely. At this point, their rivals were past their necks in paint. Soon, they would be swallowed up completely. It would be so easy to just let it happen, Tourmaline mused. If she let them die, the biggest obstacles to the Void Clan's plans would be gone. Lady Sardonyx would be so proud of her. But Selenite would not be happy. And at this point, she was not sure if she would be happy about it either.

"I don't care if they're our enemies." Selenite said as silver light began to dance around her form. "We can't just let it end like this."

"Agate cannot be rewarded for his foolishness." Tourmaline said as a blue gale kicked up around her form. "If anyone defeats Pretty Cure, it should be us."

Things were looking hopeless for Delphinus and Leo. The two Cures were seconds away from disappearing from view. Soon, both of them would surely drown. And then it would be over. They would be gone, and the hope for Illuster… for all worlds would die with them. Both girls swallowed the temptation to break down crying as what seemed like their inevitable demise drew closer. At least they would be the last person the other saw, each Cure tried to tell herself. It was cold comfort at best.

And then a blue gale suddenly rushed towards the Utsuroid. It tore through its form on impact, dissipating the paint around Delphinus and Leo and freeing them from its grasp.

Both Cures had a split second to process what had just happened before the Utsuroid suddenly pulled itself back together and lunged towards them. The second it did, a blast of silver light fired towards the gem on its heart, splitting the gem down the middle and causing the Utsuroid to collapse in a heap.

Agate had not been able to watch the battle for some time. The eldest of the Void Triad had spent the last few moments looking away, apparently sick to his stomach. But this sudden moment of interference sent him snapping right back to Earth.

"You two…" he said quietly as he stared wide-eyed at the Cures and what had remained of his Utsuroid. "You can't possibly want to…"

Delphinus and Leo took a moment more to reel over everything that had just happened before both Cures nodded at one another and summoned their Melody Arms in their instrument modes.

"Let our radiantly roaring hearts create a beautiful harmony!" the two Cures cried out in unison as they readied their Melody Arms.

"Oh water, play a cascading melody!" Delphinus cried.

"Oh lightning, dance to a sparkling rhythm!" Leo cried.

"Sing out together, oh powers of Pretty Cure!" Delphinus and Leo chorused.

"Pretty Cure Roaring Concerto!"

The Cures' finisher rushed towards the Utsuroid and engulfed it in a massive rainbow-colored explosion of light, causing the gem on its chest to shatter. As this happened behind Delphinus and Leo, the pair posed in unison, as if they had just finished giving a virtuoso performance together.

"So warm…" the Utsuroid said as it gave off multicolored energy before its form resolved into that of an unconscious Haruno, who was deposited gently onto the ground.

Agate stared hollowly at Delphinus and Leo in the wake of his Utsuroid's defeat. "So, it ends like this." he said. "I guess it doesn't matter that much. I did what I was ordered to in the end. But…"

"It doesn't satisfy you, does it?" Delphinus asked. As Leo saw to Haruno, the pink Cure approached Agate after shooting Leo a reassuring glance. The orange Cure still monitored her closely all the while. Delphinus looked completely calm and serene for a girl in the presence of a man who had come quite close to getting her killed. "Agate… you don't want to do any of this, do you?"

Agate narrowed his eyes at Delphinus before turning away sharply. "If I had a choice, I would quit in a heartbeat." he said quietly. "But that isn't an option for any of us. I told you, princess, there's no saving us from any of this. Quit wasting your time on the people who ruined your life. You'll be happier for it."

"I can't do that." Delphinus said firmly. "For your sake, I will not give up on you… and you shouldn't give up on yourselves either! No matter how hopeless things look, no matter how painful the path ahead is, you still have yourself! If you want to change, you can redeem yourselves, bit by bit!"

Agate turned to meet Delphinus' eyes. For a moment, he looked genuinely affected by her words... and then his gaze hardened.

"Such pleasant sentiments." he said flatly. "Wish I could believe any of them." And then he was gone in a flash of dark orange light and a burst of kicked-up soil.

Once Agate disappeared, the two Cures released their transformations, and the damage to their surroundings faded away in a shower of soft light. As Nanami moved to join Kohaku by her side and verify that Haruno was alright, the taller girl looked in the direction of the cape and frowned slightly.

"Seems we had outside assistance again." she said. "I'm not sure how I feel about that, but…" She smiled warmly at Nanami as she gave her partner's hand a gentle squeeze. "Were it not for them, I wouldn't be here with you right now. So, I won't complain."

Nanami nodded. "For a moment, I really did believe it was all over. I'm so glad I was wrong - it would be tragic for things to end right after our first kiss." As Kohaku looked away, flushing, something in the sand caught Nanami's eyes – Yuu's blue seashell bracelet. "Oh dear… I need to give that back to Yuu."

"Yeah... after we make sure everyone is alright, anyway." Kohaku said. She sighed, staring up at the starry sky. "It's gonna be a long night, isn't it?"

* * *

When Hisao returned to his room, he was met with an obviously far from amused Yuu and Tsukiko.

"What were you thinking?" Yuu snapped. "To attack that woman in a place like this… do you _want_ to spoil our identities?"

"There was no reason for this." Tsukiko said. "Big bro… we can't redeem ourselves if you do this kind of thing!"

Hisao narrowed his eyes at his sisters. "Redeem ourselves?" he said. "Who said anything about that? No matter where we go, we exist solely to follow Lady Sardonyx. I've never forgotten that, and you two had better start remembering it."

"Not you too, Hisao!" Tsukiko said. "I saw how happy you were, seeing everyone enjoy the food you helped make! And how sick you looked when Pretty Cure was about to… you don't want this at all! Any more than we do!"

"Again, it's not about _wanting_ anything!" Hisao snapped, raising his voice several degrees louder than usual. "We were created for one purpose and one purpose only! Get that through your thick skulls!"

Tsukiko drew back from Hisao, her form trembling eyes wide with distress. Tourmaline shot him a death glare, even as she moved in front of her sister protectively. Hisao immediately looked a bit horrified at himself for raising his voice at his little sisters.

"Please…" he said softly. "If this goes on, if we let ourselves get too attached to this world, Lady Sardonyx will definitely…"

Yuu did not look impressed with her brother. "Quit excusing yourself." she said. "You could have waited. We could have used this time to think things through. I still haven't decided how to deal with that girl. Tsukiko needs to figure out how to convey her doubts to Lady Sardonyx. But no, you had to go and-"

Hisao wasn't listening to Yuu. He had turned away from her and was staring towards the doorway. As the twins followed their brother's gaze, they felt their stomachs turn to ice. Nanami and Kohaku were standing in the doorway. Nanami was holding Yuu's abandoned bracelet and staring at the siblings in mute shock. Kohaku's hand was on Nanami's shoulder, her mouth working silently and her body language tense as she looked from Hisao to Yuu to Tsukiko.

"You heard?" Yuu asked coolly.

Kohaku, who did not lower her guard in the slightest, nodded. "Every last word of it."

"So, you three really are our enemies." Nanami said. She did not sound surprised, but she sounded terribly disappointed.

"That's right." Tsukiko replied. "I'm so sorry." She couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with either Cure.

The Cures and the Void Triad stared one another down, both sides lost for words. It really was going to be a long night.


	16. Episode Sixteen

**Episode Sixteen** : Shine Brilliantly! The Bonds of Summer!

* * *

Something was terribly wrong with Sardonyx.

The leader of the Void Clan had been quieter and more distant than normal in the few days after Tourmaline's latest battle. She barely spoke to the Void Triad unless needed and while she was a bit friendlier towards Celes, the young princess still struggled to get more than a few words from her. And then the Triad had announced that they would be absent the next two days for an island vacation, of all things, and Sardonyx had withdrawn into herself. She wasn't just distant from Celes, she was avoiding her completely.

Celes had already been struggling to live in the dead shell of what had once been Illuster. Telling herself that she deserved this fate or assuring herself that this was how the world was truly supposed to be had not helped. Vulpecula, while comforting, was only a doll, and could not help as much as Celes would like. Only Sardonyx's companionship had made living here bearable. She might have been aloof at best, she might have been an adult, and she might have been half the reason for Celes' misery, but she was the only person Celes really had these days.

Part of Celes was genuinely worried about Sardonyx. Another part was curious as to why she had been so keyed up over the Void Triad as of late. But another, much louder part was genuinely angry that the only person she had would treat her like this, just because her underlings weren't doing exactly what she wanted. Who cared about those three? Why did her hurt feelings not matter to Sardonyx?

Celes' hurt feelings only intensified once she finally located Sardonyx that night. The Void Clan's leader was standing in one of the Citadel's front gardens or rather, the remains of it. The entire place was decimated. Gone was the frozen echo of one of Celes' favorite spots. In its place was a mess of scorch marks, piles of white ash, and mangled and blackened scraps of wood and metal. Sardonyx stood at its center. She was staring down at her hands, which were still glowing with fire, looking as if even she could not believe what she had done.

Celes stared disbelievingly at Sardonyx. Vulpecula, who floated by her side as usual, stared along with her. And then something inside of the young princess burst.

"What is wrong with you?!" Celes snapped. "You've been avoiding me all day and now…" Her voice caught as she looked around the remains of the garden. "This place was…" Crying would accomplish nothing, but Celes didn't care. She let the tears flow anyway. "This place was special to me, and you ruined it!"

Sardonyx flinched as if she had been struck. For a moment, she looked very small and very vulnerable, no mean feat for a woman who towered over Celes. Her mouth worked silently before she finally forced out a very quiet and very un-Sardonyx-like response.

"I'm sorry, Celes. I don't know what came over me. I had no intention of…" Sardonyx shook her head, her gaze hardening. "No. It shouldn't matter. I cannot undo it, and it will be irrelevant soon enough. Besides, they're only flowers."

For a moment, Celes could see an echo of a much younger her, laughing and picking flowers with Nerissa, both sisters as happy as could be as they weaved flower crowns for one another and Celes created one for Vulpecula to wear. An echo of happy times that were gone forever, just like her bond with her sister. And just like this garden now was.

"Right." Celes echoed hollowly as she held Vulpecula to her chest. "Only flowers." She was quiet for a moment before she shot her best death glare at Sardonyx. "Just like those three are only pawns. You said it yourself – I'm your most valuable playing piece. So why are you ignoring me? And why is it such a big deal if they run off for a couple days?"

Sardonyx turned away sharply. Her shoulders were trembling slightly.

"They were never mine to keep." she mumbled. "I knew I'd have to let go eventually, but I never thought…"

Celes stared at Sardonyx in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sardonyx's only response was a quiet, miserable-sounding sob.

Celes scowled. "I _said_ -!"

The second Celes moved to nudge Sardonyx, the woman suddenly slumped over, and that feeling of wrongness cut through the air. Instinctively, Celes flinched backwards as Sardonyx's body moved in that far-too-precise manner she remembered from back then, and Kugelblitz turned to regard her with those cold and inhuman black eyes of hers. She was trying to look friendly. Celes wished she wouldn't.

"Oh, Celes." Kugelblitz patted Celes on the head, sending a jolt of uncomfortable energy through the young princess' form. "There is no need to waste your precious time being jealous of those three. Why worry about the sentimental attachments Sardonyx has to her toys?"

"Her toys?" Celes asked.

Kugelblitz smiled widely. Celes wished she wouldn't do that either. "Oh, did she not tell you? She might have those three marching along to her lies but in truth…"

And Sardonyx's unsettling benefactor told Celes the truth about the Void Triad in full. Part of Celes felt strange hearing the story behind the Void Triad and even a little upset, knowing that Kugelblitz was going behind Sardonyx's back and leaking information that Sardonyx must have kept to herself for a reason. But another part of her felt a bit smug, knowing that Kugelblitz held her in enough esteem to trust her with such sensitive information… and knowing that she really did matter in ways the Triad never would.

It didn't take the sting off of Sardonyx destroying the garden. And it didn't erase her anger at Sardonyx abandoning her, even as the Void Clan's leader expressed distress over her sudden blackout before apologizing to Celes for leaving her alone and asking how she could make it up to her. But it was a start.

* * *

Pretty Cure and the Void Triad stared one another down, both sides lost for words in the wake of the latter accidentally revealing their identities to the former. They remained frozen where they were for what seemed like a small eternity, each side seemingly daring the other to act, before Kohaku broke the stalemate by moving protectively in front of Nanami. The taller girl was very clearly ready to fight all three of the Triad if she had to.

"There's no need for that, Miss Knight." Hisao said. He looked and sounded terribly exhausted. "We're done fighting you."

Kohaku glared coldly at Hisao and his sisters. "How am I supposed to believe that?" she asked. "After everything you three did, why should I trust you?"

Tsukiko nodded sadly. "You're right." Her gaze slid to the floor. "We caused a lot of hurt. And we deceived you, all so we could learn your weaknesses. There's no reason to trust us."

Nanami stepped forwards from behind Kohaku. "Please don't say that, Tsukiko! I might be angry at you for your actions, but I know you aren't bad people!"

Yuu stared incredulously at Nanami. "We did so much to hurt you, and you respond like that? Are you nuts?!"

"Not in the slightest!" Nanami fired back. "You two have changed so much since you started living as humans! I am certain Hisao has as well! I know you have it in yourselves to be better - and that you want to be! A bad person would never change their ways, let alone regret their actions! Not like you three!"

Kohaku rounded on Nanami. "How can you trust them so easily?" she demanded. "I want to believe in them too, but you can't just look past what they did!"

"I'm not looking past it!" Nanami shot back. "I can understand what they did _and_ acknowledge that they're becoming better people!"

"We've almost died because of them!" Kohaku snapped. "They helped take Illuster away from you! Am I supposed to act like that never happened?"

Nanami looked ready to boil over. "You weren't listening to me, were you? Should a princess not try for diplomacy, Amber?"

"They could take advantage of your trust, Nerissa! I don't want you to get hurt again!"

"That isn't going to happen!" Nanami looked towards the twins, who had been watching Pretty Cure's argument with unreadable expressions. "You two saved our lives back there, didn't you?"

"D-don't get the wrong idea!" Yuu stammered. "I just wanted to deny Hisao a victory! If anyone takes you down, it should be Tsukiko and me!"

Neither Hisao nor Tsukiko looked at all impressed with Yuu's choice of words. And Kohaku looked mildly disgusted.

"I knew it." she said coolly. "Even that had an ulterior motive."

"That's not…" Tsukiko mumbled. She couldn't meet anyone's eyes. "Yuu might have put it like that, but it wasn't…"

"Kohaku, please stop-!" Nanami started.

"If anyone needs to be told to stop, it's you, princess." Hisao said. "Miss Knight's got the right idea. We lied to you from the start. We've hurt you before. And if you don't take us down, we could easily hurt you again. Why not do the sensible thing and accept that?"

Yuu shot a reproachful glare at her brother. "Hisao, please stop talking."

"Please..." echoed Tsukiko, who appeared to be on the edge of tears. "Don't say such ugly things..."

Kohaku shot Hisao a 'stop helping me' look before turning her attentions to Nanami. "Look, I know you see the twins as friends. I did too. But that was then, and this is now. We can't keep fraternizing with our enemies like this! Or…" Her voice caught momentarily. "I don't want to deal with anything like that… like back in the forest… so _please_!"

"I swear, you're like talking to a wall!" Nanami fired back without thinking. "How could you ask me to just abandon Yuu and Tsukiko? What is wrong with-!"

Nanami caught herself there, placing a hand over her mouth. This was her loyal partner and the girl she had just shared a kiss with on top of that, and she had been speaking to her in such an abrasive manner! Kohaku looked thoroughly rattled herself... and seemed to be right on the edge of telling Nanami something she was about to regret. She looked away sharply from Nanami, her form visibly trembling.

Before any more cross words could be exchanged, Irene suddenly appeared in the doorway. She gently pushed past Nanami and Kohaku before insistently tugging at Yuu's pajama sleeve. Yuu's steely demeanor immediately softened.

"I'm sorry, Irene." Yuu said. "Guess we got distracted. I'll be right there." Irene nodded before heading towards her bedroom, watching Yuu out of the corner of her eye all the while. Yuu watched her depart before glancing towards the two Cures. "You should rest too. Humans need their sleep, don't they?"

Yuu took off, gently plucking her bracelet from Nanami's grasp on her way out. Kohaku tightened a fist as she stared after her.

"I do believe Yuu has the right idea." Nanami said hollowly. She absently offered Hisao and Tsukiko a curtsy. "Please rest well. And I hope you have pleasant dreams, Kohaku." She couldn't meet her partner's gaze.

Kohaku said nothing in return. Her inability to meet Nanami's gaze, coupled with the piercing stare she shot Hisao and Tsukiko after Nanami had hurried off on trembling legs spoke volumes.

Tsukiko watched Kohaku slink off. "I knew we couldn't hide forever." she said quietly. "And that it'd probably turn out like this. But you…" Her voice wavered as she looked at her brother. "If you hadn't…!"

Tsukiko bolted out of the room in tears. Hisao buried his face in his hands. He remained like that for a long time.

* * *

Kohaku had not returned to bed that night. Instead, she had parked herself outside of Nanami's bedroom and spent the night standing guard in front of it. She was not foolish enough to believe that Nanami would necessarily appreciate the gesture. But she couldn't let herself spend the night any other way. Yuu's parting statement had sounded far too much like a threat for her comfort.

At some point, Kohaku had fallen asleep sitting down. She woke up early the next morning to find a blanket draped over her shoulders and Sirius draped across her lap and gently snoozing. Once Kohaku stirred, they quickly followed, staring up at her with half-lidded ice blue eyes before hopping off of Kohaku's lap, yawning, and shaking themselves awake.

"You helped me?" Kohaku said groggily. She felt horribly stiff all over and a bit worn out. Not that she could let herself complain. "Thanks. I needed it."

"Of course, of course." Sirius said. "I can't let you mistreat yourself like that, and besides…"

Kohaku's face fell. "You knew, didn't you?"

"More like suspected, up until the end. Not that that's an excuse, mind." Sirius looked aside. "But, I wonder… if I'm right, if the Medallion did appear for her, then…"

"Sirius?"

The librarian laughed sheepishly, their ears dropping a bit. "N-never mind, never mind!" they said. "Lady Nanami's outside eating breakfast with everyone! Feel free to join once you're up to it!"

Kohaku was not sure she could face Nanami after last night, but she knew from experience that avoiding the issue never made things better. So, she readied herself in a hurry and joined everyone for breakfast, trying to ignore the thumping of her heart and the anxiety buzzing in her brain and the pit of her stomach.

There was an uncomfortable pall hanging over the kitchen. Haruno was up and about, but she looked terribly drained, despite her frequent declarations that she was alright. Hisao was nowhere to be seen – the moment Haruno mentioned he was taking a walk, Sirius had muttered something about needing air themselves and dashed off before Kohaku could stop them. Tsubasa was fielding coffee orders just as she had yesterday, but apparently, she had already ruined several cups and flubbed two orders.

"Nanami seems fine." Tsubasa told Kohaku once she was in earshot. "And she told me she wants to see the rest of this vacation out. Can't say I'm reassured by that, after what he pulled."

Kohaku nodded grimly. It seemed that Tsubasa had also seen through the Void Triad, and from the sound of it, she was no more blindly trusting of them than Kohaku was. _Good_.

The other girls were eating breakfast out on the veranda again. The atmosphere there was no more comfortable than the one in the kitchen had been. The twins had segregated themselves off to a table in a shadier corner of the veranda. Irene had joined them, a sight that sent a bit of ice into Kohaku's stomach. Hadn't Yuu said something about 'dealing with' Irene? And she had believed the other girl's intentions pure at first...

Nanami, Robin, and Yuzuki were eating breakfast in a much sunnier area of the veranda. Once Nanami sensed Kohaku's approach, her eyes lit up… only for her expression to falter once she sensed her partner's stiff and overly vigilant body language. The sight made Kohaku's heart sink. Nevertheless, she sat down by her partner before proceeding to pick absently at her pancakes.

"Kohacchi!" Robin chirped. She was clearly trying to brighten the others' less than sunny moods. "So nice of you to join us! I was worried we'd have to play on the beach without you!"

"That would be quite unfortunate." Nanami said. "I really was looking forwards to spending time on the beach with everyone."

"Yeah." Kohaku said stiffly. If only 'everyone' didn't include their enemies. "It would be nice."

Nanami and Kohaku looked at one another. For a moment, both girls looked like they wanted to say something to each other, and then they looked away with a miserable sigh. Robin looked like she wanted to say something, but Yuzuki laid a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. Instead, the student council president opted to change the subject.

"Haruno-san and Aozora-san want to set up a shaved ice stand for everyone, and of course, Robin wanted to play beach volleyball." she said. "Might there be anything you two want to do? Name it, and I can arrange for it." She glanced towards the twins, who had spent breakfast in awkward silence, save for notes exchanged between Yuu and Irene. "Of course, this includes you three as well."

"I don't think there was anything in particular." Nanami said. Nothing that Yuzuki could give her, anyway. "Just being here like this is privilege enough."

"There is one thing I want." said Yuu, who had turned her chair to face Yuzuki. "Irene wants to visit the cove, but she can't swim well. Is there anything we can do?"

Yuzuki nodded. "But of course! Haruno-san can easily set the two of you up with a raft! I sometimes find it more fun to row out there anyway."

"Oh? That does sound like it would be interesting." Nanami said. She looked over at Kohaku. "Wouldn't you love to see the cove as well? It sounds like a marvelous little place."

Kohaku frowned, staring down at her food. "I don't know yet."

"You're free to come with us." Yuu said. On the surface, she sounded as emotionless as ever, but there was a bit of tension beneath her words. "We're all friends, right?"

"Of… of course." Nanami said. Her eyes nervously flitted towards Kohaku as she spoke, making the taller girl's stomach flip. "You're all my friends."

"That's the spirit, Nana-chi!" Robin chirped between hearty bites of her breakfast. "This is an island where the bonds of the heart are formed! Let's end our stay here gloriously!"

Robin followed her declaration with a triumphant shout as she pumped her plate into the air without thinking. In the process, she sent her bread roll flying, forcing the fencing team captain to scramble and retrieve her airborne food. She did so after a bit of awkward flailing, grinning triumphantly once the bread roll touched back down on her plate.

"Safe!" Yuzuki called with the authority of an umpire.

The sight drew genuine laughter from Nanami and muffled giggling from Irene. Even Yuu was laughing a little bit. But Tsukiko looked quietly miserable, and Kohaku looked a little sick.

For a few moments, Kohaku really believed she could ignore the uncomfortable tension in the air and finish her breakfast. But the food was fast losing its taste in her mouth, and the nervous glances that Nanami kept shooting her made her stomach churn. And once she caught the twins staring intently at her, something inside of her broke.

Kohaku pushed her plate away before standing up and pushing her chair in.

"Sorry, but I lost my appetite."

Kohaku moved to leave. Nanami immediately hurried after her partner. The moment she drew too close Kohaku held a hand up.

"Could you please leave me alone for now? I'll be back later. I promise."

Nanami looked absolutely crushed. She still backed off without hesitation.

"I understand." she said with a sad smile. "Please take care, Kohaku."

For a moment, Kohaku looked like she wanted to say something. But then she apparently thought better of it and hurried off. Nanami looked like she was on the edge of tears when she returned to her seat. She pushed her plate away as well. She knew her food wouldn't taste good anymore.

The twins exchanged glances at the sight of this display from Pretty Cure. It wasn't possible to tell what Yuu was thinking, but Tsukiko looked positively miserable.

"Is everything okay?" Irene whispered to Yuu. "Did they fight?"

"I don't know." Yuu said coolly. "It's none of my business."

"Or so she says." Tsukiko muttered as she chased a bit of egg around her plate. As if this wasn't all of their business.

Yuzuki offered Nanami a reassuring smile. "You know, Robin and I have fought too." she said. "All couples hit their rough patches. But if you're willing to put time and effort into your partnership, even through the bad times, you can make it work. That's what Haruno-san taught me."

"I hope so." Nanami sighed. "I really do hope so."

* * *

The beach spread out before everyone, the sand and ocean sparkling in the water like precious gemstones. Nanami had been looking forwards to playing on it with everyone. But now, she wasn't so sure. All she could think about as she changed into her swimsuit was her argument with Kohaku. She didn't regret the spirit behind her words – the twins were her friends, and she wasn't about to turn her back on them. But the way she had chosen to frame them wasn't right in the slightest.

Haruno and Tsubasa were in the process of setting up the promised shaved ice stand, although it wasn't close to being ready yet. A row of towels, beach chairs, and umbrellas, each in their owners' favorite colors, lined the beach, and a volleyball net had been erected. A variety of toys for beachside fun, from floatation devices to beach balls to squirt guns had been carefully arranged on an outdoor supply rack. The sight of it should have made Nanami's heart soar. But all she could feel was a quiet sense of emptiness.

Yuzuki and Robin were busy setting up the beach raft Irene had requested while Irene looked on with interest. The twins had sequestered themselves a few yards from everyone else. Yuu was sitting at the edge of the ocean, letting the waves wash over her feet, while Tsukiko disaffectedly drew on the sand with a stick. And Kohaku tried to look interested in the beach raft and not at all keen on monitoring the twins for any sudden movements. Once Nanami approached her, she forgot about the sisters for the moment.

"Oh… hello, Nanami." Kohaku said as she approached her partner. She was trying to sound casual, but her struggle to maintain eye contact and strained demeanor told another story. "You look really nice."

"As do you, Kohaku." Nanami replied. She sounded terribly down herself, despite her obvious attempt at cheerfulness. "I hope all goes well today."

Both Cures hesitated before breaking eye contact. This was not going to work out at all, was it?

The twins watched Pretty Cure from a distance. Yuu looked perfectly blank. Tsukiko looked miserable. She knew her twin felt the same way, despite her unfeeling façade.

"To think, Pretty Cure would tear themselves apart over us." Yuu said quietly. "Since we have nothing left to lose, pragmatically, we could take them down right now."

Tsukiko shook her head. "You wouldn't, though."

For a moment, Yuu looked ready to argue. But then she nodded reluctantly.

"I wouldn't. Because you don't want me to." She narrowed her eyes at Kohaku, who had broken away from Nanami and was inspecting the beach supplies, her gaze occasionally flitting towards the twins all the while. "And because _she_ expects us to."

Tsukiko returned to drawing patterns in the sand. "That's not all it is." she said. "But I won't argue. I don't want to fight you. I don't want to fight anyone."

Finally, Yuzuki and Robin finished setting up the raft. It was quite large and looked like it could easily accommodate at least six people altogether.

"There we go!" Robin said. "The tide's nice and calm right now, so your voyage should be _grazioso_ , Reenie!" She gestured enthusiastically towards Yuu and Nanami. "Yuu-chi! Nana-chi! C'mon! You wanted to ride out here with Reenie, right?"

Yuu wasted no time in following Nanami to where the raft was. "Huh. So, this is a raft." she said. That remark earned her some odd looks. She didn't care. "How interesting. I wonder how it is to ride this."

"It's fun!" Nanami said. "The watercrafts I'm familiar with were a bit more… elaborate than this, but I think this one is more charming! We'll be much closer to the ocean this way!" She shot a concerned glance at Kohaku, who had given up on all pretensions of inspecting the beach supplies. "Do you want to come along with us?"

Kohaku hesitated. Part of her was terrified of leaving Nanami alone with Yuu. But then, if she left Tsukiko unattended…

"I'm good." she said. "I hope you have fun, Nanami. And…"

Nanami nodded sadly. "Don't worry." she said. "I'll stay safe."

Robin and Yuzuki helped Nanami and the others get their raft out into the ocean. Kohaku watched her partner depart until she had disappeared from view, her stomach twisting all the while. Suddenly, she felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Obviously, I can't do as much as you two." Tsubasa said quietly. "I mean, I flubbed last night pretty badly. But I'll still do my best to look out for you. Just like Sirius will."

Kohaku smiled half-heartedly at Tsubasa. "Thanks." she said. "I want to hope it's not needed, but…"

Tsubasa nodded. "Yeah, I know. Never hurts to be cautious, right?" She gave Kohaku a reassuring pat on the shoulder before addressing the crowd as a whole. "So, I heard we've got things set up for beach volleyball!" she said before arrogantly grinning and flexing. "How would you ladies feel about throwing down with yours truly?"

Robin immediately perked up. "Would I?" She glanced over to Tsukiko, who was still drawing patterns in the sand by herself. "C'mon, Tsuki-chi! We're gonna throw down with the great Aozora-san!"

Tsukiko abandoned drawing in the sand and approached the group… only to immediately froze in place the moment Kohaku's gaze met hers. Only when the taller girl nodded did she approach, and she still seemed frightened of potential retribution. The sight made Kohaku's heart ache a bit… but it wasn't going to make her drop her guard around Tsukiko. Not yet.

Most of the group assembled on one side of the net while Kohaku hurried to retrieve the ball. Tsubasa stood on the other side and insistently motioned Kohaku to the other side once she attempted to join her.

"Erm, Aozora-san?" Yuzuki said. "I know you're the only adult here, but four against one seems a bit unfair."

"Nah, it's plenty fair." Tsubasa said. "Now, everyone! Let me say this to start – I am pr-etty strong!"

And the game of beach volleyball began in earnest. Indeed, Tsubasa was not bluffing. The four girls might have been talented athletes in their own right, but the café owner was close to a force of nature that took their combined efforts to come close to besting. 'Blue Hurricane' indeed!

It was a difficult match, but for a moment Kohaku found herself forgetting her troubles and having genuine fun. But she couldn't forget the dull ache her argument with Nanami had left in her heart. That would persist until the two of them resolved things… assuming they could.

* * *

The ocean was indeed very gentle this time of day. The raft was smoothly buoyed along the waves as Nanami and the others made their way towards the cove, and a gentle wind blew. Occasionally, the wind would grow in strength out of nowhere, coming at just the right speed and direction to guide the raft towards its destination. Nanami had no way of proving that Yuu was behind those winds, but it was a nice notion. As Nanami and Yuu focused on rowing, Irene gently skimmed the surface of the ocean with one hand, quietly marveling at the wide variety of sea life visible beneath the beautiful blue waves.

"The sky looks very beautiful today." Yuu said, looking upwards briefly to the gorgeous blue vista hanging above them even as she continued rowing.

"The ocean looks gorgeous as well." Nanami said. "I love being quite this close to it. Looking at the waves always makes me feel at peace."

Yuu smiled fondly at Irene, who went goggle-eyed as a small number of flying fishes went skipping by the raft. "Irene must feel the same way."

"You really love her, don't you, Yuu?" Nanami asked.

Yuu looked away sharply. She looked more than a bit uncomfortable by the question. When she caught Irene looking at her, she nodded stiffly.

Irene grinned. "Love you too." she whispered.

The cove was almost in sight by now. As Yuu and Nanami guided the raft closer, Irene gave a loud gasp. Both older girls followed her gaze to find a pod of dolphins had gathered near their raft and were keeping pace with it as they drew nearer to the cove. One drew right next to the raft, popped out of the water, and chittered an excited-sounding greeting to Nanami before carrying on its way.

"Oh my!" Nanami exclaimed. "What an enthusiastic greeting! I'm flattered."

"How apropos." Yuu deadpanned, shooting a knowing smile at Nanami.

The pod of dolphins kept up with the group's raft until they finally disembarked on the cove's beach. Several more dolphins reared out of the water to chitter out a farewell before they departed, leaving the trio alone on the cove. It was a beautifully intimate little place, surrounded on most sides by tall cliffs and sporting a pristine-looking beach dotted with plenty of trees along its shoreline. The intertidal shore was exposed this time of day, revealing a great many tide pools.

Irene eagerly scrambled off to inspect one of the tide pools while Nanami sat down and stretched. Yuu hesitated for a moment before joining her.

"My, rowing is quite the workout." Nanami said. "But it was worth it, if it led us here. This is a marvelous little place. I'd love to…" Her face fell. Yuu didn't have to ask why.

"When I first started spying on you, I thought you would team up to destroy us if we were found out." Yuu said. "I didn't think you would end up fighting over us."

"That's my fault." Nanami said sadly. "I value you and Tsukiko a lot. Even now, I think of you as friends. But Kohaku had a right to be worried about me, after what you've put us through. She's come close to losing me twice now. And I disregarded that and spoke to her so harshly." She buried her chin in her hands. "I was being a terrible partner to her."

"Really?" Yuu asked. "I don't think a terrible partner would be so self-conscious." She absently swirled a finger in the sand. "Kohaku was right to be suspicious of us anyway. I exist for Lady Sardonyx, you know. If Lady Sardonyx wills it, I will destroy you. Maybe my siblings will back me up too. Do you still trust me, knowing that?"

"Yes." Nanami said without hesitation. "Because I don't think you would go through with it. You value this world as much as Tsukiko does, don't you?"

Yuu looked down at her hands as the ocean gently lapped the shore. "It's true that I prefer this world." she said. "The sky back there is frozen and dead, and the moon no longer shines. The flowers are lifeless, and no wind blows. But because Lady Sardonyx says that is the ideal, I have to bring it about. Because otherwise…" She was trembling a bit, despite her best attempts to stay composed. "I'll become useless. And then she won't love me anymore."

Nanami laid a warm hand over Yuu's ice-cold one. "There are people who love you here." she said. "People who would never ask you to hurt others or destroy nature in exchange for that love."

Irene grinned and waved triumphantly as she showed off a beautiful seashell she had found. Yuu offered the young girl a wave and a beaming smile. She followed that up with a vague gesture, prompting a small number of beach birds to alight near where Irene was before taking off in unison, drawing a cry of delight from the young girl. The sight made Yuu's dull eyes shine a bit more before her face fell abruptly, and she looked away.

"Maybe you're right." she said. "But I'm still a cold person by nature. How do you know I won't disregard that and betray you? I haven't done anything to help your sister, right?"

Nanami's gaze hardened a bit at the mention of Celes. "I am angry at you for that. And I will never forget what you put us through. But despite what you say, you have a kind heart. Maybe you didn't at the start of this, but you do now. It's quite obvious."

Yuu stared at Nanami in confusion. "How so?"

"We're in a remote location." Nanami said. "I know you're my enemy, so you have nothing to lose by attacking Irene or me. I don't have Kohaku with me, so you have the advantage. But you haven't even thought to take advantage of that, have you?"

"Obviously not!" Yuu fired back. She crossed her arms defensively. "If I hurt you, Tsukiko would be upset with me! And it would make Irene sad. It has nothing to do with me being a good person."

Nanami smiled wryly. "That sounds like it has everything to do with being a good person."

Before Yuu could produce any sort of comeback, Irene came running up excitedly to the group and gestured in the direction of where she had been standing. Yuu and Nanami exchanged glances before following after her. Both girls' breath caught in their throat as they caught up with Irene. An octopus had lifted itself out of the water and was trundling slowly towards the group.

Nanami's eyes lit up. "How cute!"

Yuu inclined her head curiously. "They can do that?"

"Of course." Nanami replied. "They cannot live outside the water, but octopi will occasionally emerge for a time for curiosity's sake, or if there's something they want."

"They want to see us?" Irene asked quizzically.

"What an honor." Yuu said. There was a hint of playfulness behind her mostly cold tone. "Glad I've been chosen by an octopus."

It seemed the octopus hadn't just emerged from the water to see the Cures. As it approached the group, it deposited a dead crab right at Nanami's feet before trundling back towards the water.

"It gave us a gift too…" Nanami said. She looked thoroughly put off at the sight despite herself. "Ah well… it's the thought that counts, right?"

"It's a very generous octopus." Irene, who seemed completely unaffected, agreed. The group watched the octopus slip back into the water before Irene suddenly pulled Yuu into a tight hug.

Yuu felt warmth building up in her chest as Irene hugged her. That and the sensation of something breaking inside of her again. And that sensation only grew stronger as she glanced into Irene's heart. The young girl's Roaring Spark was ready to harvest. The moment she had been waiting for so long was in front of her. And Nanami was right. Pragmatically, she had nothing to lose by acting. She could finish her side mission _and_ eliminate a member of Pretty Cure right here and now.

But she couldn't. Try as she might, she couldn't make herself do anything, even after Irene released her from the hug. She really was becoming useless, wasn't she?

"You know," Irene whispered "I wanted to disappear for a long time. I didn't see the point of being around. But you ease those feelings, Yuu. Thank you for being here."

Irene reached out to hold Yuu's hand. Yuu returned the gesture, even as she stared out into the distance. She looked terribly lost at present.

"Something in me is breaking." she muttered.

"It's the feeling of loving someone, Yuu." Nanami said. "The platonic love you feel for Irene, the romantic love I feel for Kohaku… such things are proof that we have hearts! It's nothing to be ashamed of!"

"My heart, huh…" Part of Yuu still bristled at the notion she had one. But another part didn't think it was that terrible. How inconvenient.

Nanami looked at Yuu and Irene, her hair sparkling under the sunlight as beautifully as the waves of the ocean. "We should have a good while to spare before the ocean becomes too rough to sail on." she said. "And then, when we get back…"

"You'll attend to your own heart as well, right?" Yuu asked. Once Nanami nodded, she offered the princess a thin smile. "Good luck."

Something caught inside of Yuu the moment she spoke. She really was surprising herself in all sorts of ways, she mused as the three girls moved to explore the cove together. She wasn't at all sure how she felt about that.

* * *

Tsubasa was not bluffing about her strength. The game of beach volleyball between her and the four teenagers quickly turned into a game of Who Can Beat Tsubasa Aozora, and the answer rapidly proved to be "no one". Even with Kohaku on their side, and even despite the other three girls' athletic talents, the group was handily defeated.

After the game had ended, and Tsubasa congratulated Kohaku and the others on a job well done, Haruno announced that the shaved ice stand was open for business. Tsubasa happily hurried over to assist the older woman, and Robin and Yuzuki made their way to the stand, both upperclassmen excitedly talking about what flavor they were going to order. Kohaku almost joined them… and then she spotted Tsukiko quietly slinking off out of the corner of her eye. She noticed Tsubasa watching her as she hurried off. The older woman looked a bit tense, but she said nothing.

It took a few moments of searching, but Kohaku finally located Tsukiko further down the beach. The younger twin had commandeered a few sandcastle making supplies and was quietly building one. It was not just any castle, Kohaku soon realized. Tsukiko was trying to recreate the Celestial Citadel. She watched Tsukiko out of equal parts leeriness and curiosity for a few moments before she finally sat down next to her. At first, Tsukiko did not seem to notice Kohaku's presence and kept plugging along. But finally, she spoke.

"I hate how cold and dead your kingdom is." She did not make eye contact as she spoke. "I dread going home, even if I have no right to. After all, I helped make it that way."

Kohaku opened her mouth to say something… and then her mind flashed back to last night's argument, and she instead settled helping Tsukiko with the sand Citadel. Tsukiko stared at her quizzically for a moment before tearing her eyes away and continuing to work.

"I lied to Sirius back then. The Lunar Medallion really did appear for me." she said. "I still don't understand why. Even if I try to change, I'm still a coward without a real heart. I have still caused others pain. It's fair for you to hate me."

Kohaku paused from shaping one of the Citadel's towers. "I don't hate you."

Tsukiko stared uncomprehendingly at Kohaku. "But… you said… even before last night, you were always… when we fought..."

Kohaku nodded solemnly. "It was easier when I didn't know you. You were just obstacles we had to get rid of. Not my classmates. Not girls I shared good times with." She frowned. "But that doesn't erase the harm you've caused others. That doesn't undo how badly you hurt Nanami. And it doesn't make me want to lower my guard around you. I don't hate you or your siblings, Tsukiko. But I can't trust you."

"I understand." Tsukiko said as she worked on one of the Citadel's domes. "I really am trying to be better, Kohaku. I really don't want to fight you anymore. But I know it won't take back the things I did." She dropped her gaze. "I don't know how Nanami can even look at me, knowing what I put her through."

"And I don't know how to deal with this myself." Kohaku said. "I was trained to eliminate all threats to my princesses, not befriend them. What am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know, sorry." Tsukiko said. "I've been asking myself that a lot too. We weren't supposed to befriend you either, so..."

Kohaku worked in silence for a few moments before speaking again. "I don't understand why Nanami trusts you three so wholeheartedly. Maybe I never will. Still, I do owe you and Yuu my life. Even if…"

"Please don't hold what Yuu said against her." Tsukiko sounded almost pleading. "It wasn't just because she wanted to outdo big bro. She really does like you two. She just has trouble being honest with her feelings."

" _Really_." Kohaku supposed she could _sort_ of see that, but she wasn't inclined to buy into it. Not yet. "If that's true, I owe you an apology. I was so angry at you three for lying to us that I didn't keep my temper in check." Her russet eyes darkened. "And I was so worried about Nanami that I completely disregarded her feelings on the matter." She narrowed her eyes at Tsukiko, her form tensing. "If our hearts are divided like this, it's only a matter of time until you take advantage, isn't it?"

"No!" Tsukiko exclaimed. "I wouldn't! I told you, I don't want to fight you! And your hearts aren't divided either! You've been worrying about Nanami this entire time, haven't you? And I bet she's worrying about you right now!" She smiled sadly. "Your hearts are always together. No wonder we've never been able to defeat your combination."

Kohaku's eyes widened in realization as Tsukiko spoke. "You know, you're right." she said. "In the beginning, I thought I was always thinking of Nanami because it was my job to protect her. But now…" She absently pressed a hand to her heart. "I know I think about her constantly, because I love her. And that made it hurt more when we fought. I was afraid I'd ruined things between us."

"I doubt that." Tsukiko said. "I'm sure when you and Kohaku see each other again, you'll be able to make up easily. I believe in you."

"Thanks..." Kohaku was as weirded out by one of her enemies wishing her well as she was appreciative of the gesture. It showed. "I'll try to smooth things over with Nanami when she returns. Won't stop me from worrying about it 'til then, but I'll try to manage."

"And I'll try to work things out with my siblings." Tsukiko sounded as tentative as she did resolute. "We won't give up until Lady Sardonyx returns Celes and agrees to stop fighting you. I'm scared to think about it... but I won't give up until it happens."

"I'll try to believe that. And I'll leave you alone as long as you behave yourselves. But if you three pull anything at all, I will not hesitate to take you down."

Kohaku clearly was not bluffing. Her tone of voice and her body language was indication enough. The sight made Tsukiko wince visibly. But nevertheless, she nodded, and that was enough to make Kohaku relax a bit.

"I get it." There was a slight tremor in Tsukiko's voice, despite her best attempts to hide it. "But I don't think you'll have to worry about that."

"I'd like to think that way, Tsukiko. I really would."

Kohaku and Tsukiko finished building their replica of the Celestial Citadel in silence. Finally, it was completed, and the two girls stood back and admired their handiwork. It was not a perfect recreation, but between the two's memories and combined artistic talents, they had created quite an accurate representation of Illuster's crown jewel.

"Oh… it looks really pretty!" Tsukiko said. "I don't deserve it, but I wouldn't mind seeing the real thing someday. I'm sure it's much more beautiful."

"It really is." Kohaku replied. "I left some painful memories back there, along with someone I never want to see again. But I still miss it a lot. It and the rest of Illuster."

"I don't remember the Kingdom of Crystals." Tsukiko said. "When Lady Sardonyx revived us after we lost our Roaring Sparks, we lost most of our memories. Or so she says." She shifted uncomfortably, trying to suppress her worries on that front. She had enough to stress over right now. "But... I'm sure if I did remember it, I would feel the same way."

Tsukiko watched the waves lapping closer and closer to the sand Citadel. Eventually, they would overcome it and cause it to crumble away into nothing. And in the beginning, she would have seen that as proof that her creation, like so many other things, was worthless in its transience. But now she understood. It was precious because it was fragile. She wouldn't worry about it being destroyed. She would appreciate it in the here and now.

"I really love this world." she said. "It's okay if you don't believe me. But, I won't let Lady Sardonyx destroy it! I promise!"

Kohaku's gaze softened just a bit. "I'll try my best to believe that." she said. "And if that's true… I'll have faith in you, Tsukiko. I promise."

* * *

Hisao didn't know what time of day it was at this point, let alone what he was going to do with himself now, save wander around the island until that lost its appeal. And he could keep going for a long time. He didn't need to eat, so food was no concern. He didn't need to sleep, so exhaustion was no threat. And… logically, he didn't need anyone. Even his sisters' approval was secondary to carrying out his assigned directives. But…

He sat down heavily underneath one of the orchard's apple trees, heaving a heavy sigh. This was the feeling Tsukiko had said she'd been plagued with after a while, wasn't it? Guilt. It was eating at him like acid. Especially after…

 _"You can't just give up! Do you really want to continue like this? Don't you care about your little sisters?"_

 _"If you want to change, you can redeem yourselves, bit by bit!"_

Tsubasa and Nanami… both of them had gotten in his way. He should have resented both of them. Part of him did. But their words still ate at him like acid. And worse, they made him want to hope for something better. They made him want to try to be a better person, if only for his sisters. They actually made him want to start trying to climb out of that pit.

"Oh, whatever." Hisao muttered bitterly, even as he polished a fallen apple on his shirt sleeve and bit into it. It was criminal how nice it tasted… and how easily it brought his kitchen adventures back to the forefront of his mind. "I bombed all that. Who cares?"

Not like he could bother facing Tsubasa after their confrontation, or the Cures after he'd almost killed them, or his sisters after he'd blown their cover. Part of him wondered if he'd be better off just returning to Sardonyx's side and never coming back. Not that he got a chance to entertain that suggestion.

"There you are! You had me running around the island, you know, you know?"

Sirius plonked themselves down besides Hisao, shocking the latter enough that he nearly choked on his apple. Their pristine white suit and energetic demeanor cut an almost comical contrast to Hisao's tacky Hawaiian shirt ensemble and sullen manner. Just as before, their ears were pricked forwards, and their tail was swishing back and forth eagerly. Either they were actively messing with Hisao, or they were like Nanami and didn't care about who he was. He didn't know which was worse.

"How are you doing on this fine, fine day, Hisao!" Sirius asked.

"Terrible." Hisao deadpanned. "Thanks for asking."

Hisao tossed his half-eaten apple aside and walked off. Sirius kept pace with him. They really didn't know when to quit.

"Understandable, understandable." they said. "I try not to be fussed about much, but I have to say, pretending to be a normal dog all the time feels rather constraining! Makes me wish passing as human was more possible, yes, yes. So, I figured I'd get away from everyone and catch up with you!"

"You have terrible taste in people." Hisao muttered.

Still, Sirius continued to follow him around. Part of Hisao considered increasing his pace or teleporting away, just to shake off the annoying dog. He couldn't bring himself to do either. Maybe he was a little more desperate for company than he thought. But… that didn't change the fact that they were still one of his enemies, he reminded himself.

Hisao paused in his tracks and turned to stare Sirius in the eyes. Instantly, a decent number of snakes emerged from the surrounding flora and surrounded the librarian. Sirius just gingerly picked one of the snakes up with the gentleness and caution of an experienced snake-handler, letting it wind around their arm. The sight drew a low whistle out of Hisao.

"Well, dang." he said. "I actually thought that'd work."

Sirius just smiled. "You love these snakes far too much to put them at risk. It's obvious from your body language, yes, yes. And I've been around much longer than you have. Long enough to know how to handle these handsome fellows. And most definitely long enough to know not a single one of them is venomous."

Hisao narrowed his eyes. "You don't have plausible deniability anymore, Sirius. You know damn well I'm your enemy. So, what's your angle?"

"I don't have one." Sirius replied as they let the snake go. Hisao wasn't sure if their nonchalance was impressive or irritating. "I meant what I said. And even if you say all of that, I know you're not going to hurt me. If you wanted me gone, you'd have surely, surely done something by now."

"Has anyone ever told you you're annoying?" Hisao asked. Despite his choice of words, he was allowing Sirius to keep pace with him as he continued his trek around the island.

"Plenty of times, plenty of times." Sirius replied without missing a beat. "I swear Altair made a habit to remind me of it. Kaitos worshipped the ground I walked on, but even they said I talked far, far too much. And Procyon… my, if she went too long without asking me where my 'off' switch was, I'd assume something was wrong with her."

"That's a lot of unfamiliar names." Probably owned by some of the hollow shells lying around, Hisao mused guiltily. "Say… you're a librarian, right? Could you tell me a bit about that whole business? 's not my thing, but Tsukiko loves it. And you were really into your job, right?"

Hisao had chosen the perfect thing to say. Sirius' eyes lit up, their ears perked up, and their tail wagged so hard that Hisao feared it was going to fall off.

"Was I? Was I ever! Do you know I memorized our entire catalog? That's no mean feat!"

What followed was a trek through the island's forest path, during which Hisao learned more about libraries, the operation of libraries, and Sirius' many colleagues than he would ever need to know. And yet, he found the librarian's immense passion for their profession oddly charming. In another world, he would have happily guided Tsukiko their way. She had practically moved into the library Sirius had once minded after all. But in this one, all he could feel was a sense of numb regret. Pretty Cure wasn't the only one who had lost people dear to them.

By the time the two arrived at the summit overlooking the island, Sirius had ceased to ramble for now, and Hisao had softened to the librarian just a bit.

"You know," Hisao said as he absently fooled with one of the telescopes "in a world where things were different, I wouldn't mind hanging out with you more. You're not bad, Sirius."

"Same to you, same to you." Sirius replied as they drank in the scenery below them. "Up 'til the 'different world' part. I see no reason why we cannot be friends in this one."

Hisao shook his head. "Because I'm one of Lady Sardonyx's pawns. I can't be anything else. And I ruined your life as well. You've gotta resent me for that a bit."

"Please don't mistake my friendliness for ignorance." Sirius said. They sounded as cheery as ever on the surface, but there was a steely edge beneath their tone. "You've done things I cannot forgive. But despite your words, you're clearly, clearly a man who wants to change. If you're willing to work to redeem yourself, I see no reason not to support you."

"Man, and I thought Tsubasa was overly optimistic." Hisao said.

He sat down on the ground, extending his lanky legs out in front of him as he basked in the summer sun. Sirius joined him, their tail swaying back and fort. as they sat cross-legged.

"I suppose part of it's down to age." Sirius said. "Again, I've been around much, much longer than any of you have. My perspective's a bit skewed when it comes to humans."

Hisao quirked an eyebrow. "How long is that, exactly?"

"Oh, that's…" Sirius took a moment to puzzle out the numbers. "Two hundred and twenty-five? Twenty-six? Oh, it's two hundred and twenty- _something_! I'll have to ask Lady Nanami next time I see her. She remembers my birthday better than I do."

Hisao had to take a moment to pick his jaw up off the ground. "Holy… really? I had you pegged as my age! Didn't know you were a senior citizen!"

"Oh no, no, no! I'm quite young by Celestial Beast standards!" Sirius said. "It's why we're the go-to for any sort of archivist position in Illuster – when you can live for thousands of years, you can be the history tome, yes, yes."

Hisao's face fell as the implications of that sunk in. "But that means…"

Sirius' expression suddenly grew much more somber. "I watched Lady Nanami's grandmother grow up, and I was with her when she passed on. One day, Queen Lucinda will join her, and eventually, Lady Nerissa and Lady Celes will leave me as well."

"I don't know how you'd deal with that." Hisao said. "I can hardly wrap my mind around it." Pithy words for a man who expected to effectively die soon enough, but whatever.

"We learn to endure it." Sirius replied. "From the moment we manifest to the moment we turn back into starlight, we try to live in the present. I don't think about how I'll have to watch my princesses die. I prefer to treasure the time we have together now."

Hisao looked away from Sirius. "It's infuriating, hearing you speak like that, you know." he said blackly. "You and Tsubasa both. Being so hopeful despite it all… it makes me want to believe in something. And I'm happy being a man who believes in nothing."

"You want to protect your sisters." Sirius said. "That is something!" Hisao opened his mouth to protest. Sirius cut him off. "I know, I know, I don't have the big picture. If you were comfortable telling it to me, you probably would have by now. But, let me ask you this. What is better – staying where it's safe and surviving, or taking a risk and living?"

"Lady Sardonyx knows something is up." Hisao said. "And Tsukiko keeps talking about changing her heart. But I'm afraid…"

"If something happens, I won't leave you or your sisters alone." Sirius said. "I've decided that now! I'm an annoying know-it-all, true, true, but I'm a loyal annoying know-it-all."

Hisao stared disbelievingly at Sirius before sighing heavily and leaning back. He shielded his eyes from the sun as he watched the clouds passing by above him.

"Yeah, you are annoying." he muttered. "And infuriating. But it's a nice sentiment. You've even got me believing in it a little."

The first steps he'd take would have to be on his own. He couldn't forget that little pearl of wisdom from Tsubasa if he tried, he mused as he closed his eyes, enjoying the solidness of the earth beneath his back and the gentleness of the sunlight warming his form. He was dimly aware of Sirius lying down and stretching next to him. And if he went through this, it'd be some damn fraught first steps.

But… it was nice to let himself hope. Utterly terrifying, but oddly nice.

* * *

When Nanami and the others disembarked onto the beach some time later, she found Kohaku waiting for her. Yuu wasted no time in leading off Irene, who had acquired a generous seashell collection, while Tsubasa herded their upperclassmen and Tsukiko away, leaving Nanami and Kohaku to their own devices. Neither girl noticed. They were too overcome by one another's presence.

For a moment, both Nanami and Kohaku hesitated, both clearly unsure of how to proceed. And then something inside of Nanami burst and she ran towards Kohaku. The moment she drew close to her partner, the taller girl picked her up and joyfully spun her around, drawing a burst of delighted laughter from Nanami. In that moment and in the moments after Kohaku sat her back down gingerly, all seemed right with the world. But then the memories of last night came back to each Cure.

It was clear that their argument still bothered both girls. And it almost seemed as if they were going to shy away from one another again. But that moment quickly passed.

"I'm sorry about the way I treated you last night." Nanami said. "I failed to respect your feelings, and I spoke to you inconsiderately. I should not have been so narrow-sighted."

"I owe you an apology as well." Kohaku said. "I was so worried about your safety that I didn't even stop to listen to you."

The ocean's waves gently crashed against the shore as the two Cures looked into one another's eyes, their hearts pounding in their chests… before both breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Oh my… it feels so much better, finally being able to apologize." Nanami said. "I feel a bit sorry for being so worried before."

"Don't be." Kohaku said. "I was really sure I'd ruined our partnership for a bit. Now I'm wondering why I ever felt that way." She sighed as she cast a glance towards the twins. Yuu was happily playing catch with Irene, while Tsukiko was getting educated on using a squirt gun by Robin and Yuzuki, a move that could only end in disaster. "I take it your trip went well?"

Nanami nodded. "Yuu didn't do anything to hurt me. And she doesn't want to either. The only bad part was you not being there."

Kohaku looked a bit flustered. "I… I felt the same way as well. And Tsukiko says that she wants to confront Sardonyx." Her tone grew solemn. "As long as they and their brother don't try anything, I'll tolerate them. But, if anything happens, you'll fight by my side, right?"

"Of course." Nanami said as she gave Kohaku's hand a gentle squeeze. "You're my precious partner, after all. But, I don't think that will be necessary. Now, then." She looked towards the shaved ice stand, which Haruno was in the process of tidying up. "Shall we get some shaved ice together? All that sailing is making it look quite tempting."

Moments after Haruno had happily served Nanami and Kohaku some strawberry and mango shaved ice, and the Cures sat down on their beach blankets to enjoy it, Sirius, back in dog form, and Hisao emerged from some nearby flora. Hisao looked significantly more relaxed and at ease than he had last night, and Sirius appeared to be in pretty high spirits themselves. The second they spotted Nanami and Kohaku, they bolted towards them, giving Nanami an affectionate bump with their head as they settled besides her.

"Oh, Siri!" Nanami said. "It's so good to see you again!" She gazed quizzically from the librarian, to Hisao, who was watching his sisters, their upperclassmen, and Irene chase each other around with squirt guns with equal parts bewilderment and amusement, and back again. "Were you…?"

"I was, yes, yes." Sirius said. "Hisao's a great conversation partner, as it turns out! I don't think he'll be doing anything to trouble you to either. Thank goodness, thank goodness."

Kohaku didn't look quite as heartened as Nanami and Sirius did. "I guess that's reassuring to hear." she replied between bites of her shaved ice. "But I still plan to keep an eye on him as well."

Tsubasa had been stretched out on her own beach blanket sunning herself. The moment she noticed Hisao, she promptly forgot about getting a tan and jogged towards him. He instinctively froze up, as if fearful she was about to attack him.

"Please, don't do that." Tsubasa said. She led Hisao further down the beach and out of Haruno's earshot. "I know, I know. We're enemies, you're here to mug people for their hearts, I've beaten you up twice. I get it. But I don't believe in hurting people who aren't about to hurt others. And something tells me you've given up on that."

"I guess so." Hisao said. "That librarian pal of yours is oddly persuasive. And it's not like I've ever felt anything for..." He gestured vaguely, clearly alluding to his duties as a Void Clan warrior. "But… it's not entirely in my hands, you know. I'll try to convince my boss. But if she forces my hand…"

Tsubasa shook her head. "You say that, but even now, you're hoping it works out. Even if it's just for their sake."

"Man, I don't know how you and the librarian can keep that up." Hisao groused. "But, I guess you're right. I don't care about myself, but my sisters-"

Before Hisao could finish that sentence, a stray squirt gun blast caught him across the chest, soaking the front of his shirt. He stared in disbelief at Tsukiko, who apologetically lowered her squirt gun… right as Yuu casually shot hers at him. Hisao dodged that shot, leaving it to catch Tsubasa across the face.

"Well." Tsubasa said, pushing her soaking-wet bangs out of her face. "I hope you realize this means war." She glanced sternly at Hisao. "Go get me a squirt gun. I'm taking them on."

"You want me to get you a squirt gun?" Hisao asked incredulously. "To hell with that! I'm getting them for both of us!"

The twins watched their brother storming furiously towards the supply rack. Yuu, her upperclassmen, and Irene seemed to find the whole thing amusing. But Tsukiko seemed a bit frantic. She wasted no time in bolting towards Nanami and Kohaku, who had since finished off their shaved ice.

"I'm sorry to bother you two, but will you back us up?" she asked, sounding as if this was a matter of life and death. "Big bro looked really serious! You don't have to if you don't want to, but…"

Kohaku smiled. "No, I get it. This is a matter of war. You need the strength of a trained bodyguard."

"And the strategic know-how of a princess. We shall be honored to help you." Nanami looked towards her partner, her eyes sparkling. "Let's go, Kohaku!"

Kohaku looked every bit as eager as her partner. "Okay, Nanami!"

Soon, the two Cures had joined the fray. And from there, it was only a matter of time before the beach turned into a warzone. Any notions of teams or allegiances were quickly thrown to the wind and most everyone's anxieties were forgotten as nearly everyone present engaged in a free for all squirt gun war.

Even as the twins enjoyed themselves with the others, they found their minds drifting back to their earliest days posing as humans. They had been drawn into another 'war' like this back then too, during the cherry blossom viewing. Back then, it had been a half-hearted and insincere display, meant mainly to integrate themselves with the Cures and their friends. But now, the two were genuinely laughing and enjoying themselves with the others. It was a wonderful feeling. Both sisters found themselves wishing this happiness could last forever.

But, that was not the case. Eventually, this would pass, and they would have to confront Sardonyx. And before that, they would need to resolve things with Pretty Cure. It was only appropriate.

* * *

By the time the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon, most everyone in attendance was truly worn out. There had been plenty of beachside fun to be had once the squirt gun war had finally petered out. Additional rounds of beach volleyball had been enjoyed, myriad sand sculptures had been built, and most everyone had enjoyed a good swim. Irene had the time of her life discovering various ocean fauna and pointing them out to Yuu, while Nanami invited Tsukiko and Kohaku out on another raft ride while the weather was still nice. It was only fair that they saw the cove as well.

Her second kiss with Kohaku had been every bit as magical as the first, Nanami decided.

At present, most everyone had changed out of their swimsuits and into casual attire. Haruno had set up a beach bonfire, which glowed every bit as beautifully as the colors of the evening sky. Numerous chairs were arranged near the bonfire, and several tables sat nearby, piled with a generous selection of food to enjoy or even toast over the fire. Robin was doing just that, happily charring marshmallows while Yuzuki cautioned her not to shove too many in her mouth at once. Nanami, who was sitting nearby and enjoying a light meal with Kohaku, had to stifle a giggle at the sight.

Fireflies were darting around the beach like tiny stars. Irene was chasing them around the beach with the twins in tow. Irene had been quite popular with animals today –outside of the ocean life and the island's cats, birds had alighted on her shoulders, a few rabbits had curiously popped up near her, and Hisao had even brought a snake for her to hold – after repeatedly assuring a panicking Robin that this species was not venomous. Nanami and Kohaku knew full well why this was. It didn't stop Kohaku from being a bit leery of the siblings, but it did bring a smile to her face.

"I really am going to miss this place." Nanami said as she snuggled up to Kohaku. "I had a marvelous time here – and it was every bit as romantic as the two of you said it was. I'm grateful."

"Hey now, nothing says you can't come back next year!" Robin said. "Not like this island's going anywhere."

"Right, but we are. Our stay here is temporary." Kohaku wanted to think that way, anyway. "I would like to visit again, though. This is the first vacation I've truly had fun on."

"I'm glad to hear that." Yuzuki said. "And I'm glad to see you're feeling better as well. I won't pry, but I really was a bit worried about you. I know how painful fighting as a couple can be."

Robin nodded in agreement. "Yeah, the first time it happened between Yuzu and me, I lost my head. I thought it was all over. But! Even people who love each other a lot have their disagreements. There will be sad times, but there will also be lots of happy times as well!" She jumped up from her chair, her eyes sparkling with resolve. "And that makes love worth it!"

That last part was loud enough for everyone, even those far from the bonfire, to hear it. Those present at the bonfire were left with ringing in their ears.

"It's a great sentiment." Kohaku said as she rubbed at her ears. "But you're a little loud."

" _Mi dispiace molto_ , Kohacchi." Robin said sheepishly as she slid back into her chair. "But you're right! It's a great sentiment! Please, never forget it!"

"I have no plans to." Nanami said. She smiled warmly at Kohaku, gently intertwining her fingers with her partner's own. "I'll keep it in my heart, always."

Tsubasa, Hisao, and Sirius sat on a rocky outcropping overlooking the rest of the beach. Tsubasa was nibbling on a sandwich, while Sirius had two sizable bread rolls in each hand and was alternately taking bites out of each. Hisao was more focused on watching the clouds drifting by. He didn't need to eat, and he didn't have a pressing desire to anyway. He was too anxious for that. After all, this was a risky future he was staring down.

"Man, I am gonna sleep well tonight." Tsubasa said. "Those kids gave me a heck of a workout!" She yawned and stretched before glancing quizzically towards Hisao. "You holding up okay? You look pretty spaced out."

"When we return home, my sisters and I are going to confront our boss together." Hisao said. "We don't have much of a game plan. And I don't know if it'll work. But I do know she doesn't like the idea of us leaving. She's threatened Tsukiko and I over it."

Tsubasa looked quietly floored by Hisao's words. "Kinda wish I'd known that before I ran my mouth back then."

"Hey now, I kinda liked your pep talks. They pissed me off, but I liked them. You did have a lot about me figured out." Hisao smiled fondly at Tsubasa. That smile quickly faded. "I just wish my climb out of that pit was as easy as yours was. I don't know if I'll live long enough to try."

Sirius' ears drooped, and they let out a low whine. "Please don't speak like that." they said quietly. "Lady Nanami treasures your sisters dearly, and I really, really can't imagine she'd want something to happen to you either."

"I'm doing this because of them." Hisao said. "This guy is a guy trapped between a rock and a hard place… but if there's the tiniest chance those two can be happy, he'll take it."

"If anything comes up, Sirius and I are in your corner." Tsubasa said. "But I'd like to hope it doesn't end like that. Despite everything, I really do want things to work out for you three. Redeeming yourself is scary, and not everyone will forgive you, but trust me, it's totally worth it."

"So I've gathered." Hisao quirked an eyebrow as he noticed his sisters breaking away from Irene and approaching Pretty Cure. Now what was that about? "And I really hope you're willing to follow through on that promise."

Tsubasa grinned arrogantly. "Obviously! Who the hell do you think I am?"

"Someone I'd rather have as my ally than my enemy, obviously." Hisao snarked affectionately.

"Same to you, same to you! Both of you!" Sirius said between bites of their food. "You know, I think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship between us!"

"Let's not jump the gun." Hisao looked from Sirius to Tsubasa and smiled thinly. "It is a nice prospect, though. If things work out, we should totally hang more."

Indeed, the twins had business with Pretty Cure. After reluctantly sending Irene to their upperclassmen, the sisters approached the pair, their dull eyes shining in the light of the bonfire's flames. Both had a look of purpose on their faces, one that had both Cures immediately at attention.

"Sorry, but can we talk?" Tsukiko asked.

"There's something important we have to discuss." Yuu said.

Nanami had wasted no time in agreeing. Kohaku was clearly a bit worried even now, but nevertheless, she was right behind her partner. And so, the four girls traveled further up the beach, well out of the earshot of everyone else in attendance. Once the four had put a good amount of distance between themselves and the others, the twins stopped to face Pretty Cure.

"We're going to confront Lady Sardonyx once we return to Seizato." Yuu said. "Since you two know our identities now, there's no need to draw this out further."

"The three of us have found things to love about this world." Tsukiko said. "And we'll make Lady Sardonyx recognize it too. I want to believe that."

Nanami nodded in acknowledgement. "That's heartening to hear. A bit concerning, from what I know of Sardonyx, but heartening." She smiled fondly. "To think it would resolve like this."

The twins' gazes grew steely, and their forms tensed. The air grew a bit heavier, instantly putting both Cures on edge.

"It's a nice sentiment, Nanami." Tsukiko said. "But it's not resolved between us."

"Maybe we aren't your enemies anymore." Yuu said. "But we are still warriors of the Void Clan."

Kohaku needed no further explanation. "And your pride demands one last fight between us, right? As warriors."

"As warriors." Yuu echoed. "Our hearts won't be satisfied until then."

"I guess I can accept that." Kohaku said. "Communicating through fists is more my style anyway."

Nanami was clearly nowhere near as comfortable with this as Kohaku was. "I don't want to fight you again." she said. "But if this is really what you want…"

"It is." Tsukiko said. "It's mostly Yuu's wish, but even I want some kind of closure."

After all, she mused, there was a chance that this might not work out. That the two of them might not see Pretty Cure again. She didn't want to think that way at all, but the threats that Sardonyx had tossed her way were difficult to forget completely, no matter how optimistic she tried to be.

"Then, I'll do it." Nanami said. "Tonight, on the other side of this island. Anything for my precious friends."

Yuu looked a bit awkward. "I'll never be used to you calling us that." She smiled thinly. "But for what it's worth, thanks."

"Now, let's get back to the party." Tsukiko said. "I want to try toasting marshmallows. It seems fun."

Before anyone could say anything further, Tsukiko had torn towards where the bonfire was, leaving her sister to bolt after her. Nanami and Kohaku looked at one another before following after the twins. Both of them felt rather strange and yet oddly hopeful about this arrangement.

* * *

The moments leading up to Pretty Cure's final confrontation with the twins seemed to take a small eternity. The four girls had managed to maintain a façade of complete normalcy until night had fallen and everyone had prepared for bed. Most everyone around them could not have suspected that anything was amiss. Tsubasa was, as usual, the exception to the rule.

"You four are planning something, aren't you?" she had asked. "Obviously, I can't do much to stop you. But…"

"We'll be fine." Nanami said.

Kohaku nodded. "We're just resolving some unfinished business. There's nothing to worry about."

Tsubasa had not seemed at all convinced, but she still seemed to resign herself to whatever her charges were planning. Nanami and Kohaku still knew she was worrying about them. Just as they were worrying as they sat in Nanami's room together with Sirius, quietly exchanging words over cups of tea as the clock counted down to the designated hour. Even if the twins no longer wished to act as their enemies, both Cures were certain that they would hold nothing back. But then, they didn't plan to either.

Finally, the designated hour arrived, and the Illuster refugees slipped out of the beach estate. The ocean crashed roughly against the shore and a strong wind blew as the group traveled towards the designated meeting spot. The starry sky illuminated their surroundings beautifully, and the moon glowed ethereally as the pair arrived at their destination – an open field on the opposite side from the beach estate.

For a moment, the twins were nowhere to be found. But then a strong gust of wind blew, and Yuu and Tsukiko appeared on the heels of it. Their eyes held a dangerous shine as they faced down Pretty Cure. Sirius nodded knowingly towards the pair before hurrying away, leaving them to face down the sisters.

"Get ready, Pretty Cure." Yuu said. "Today, our rivalry ends!"

Nanami nodded firmly. "I will do whatever is needed to unite our hearts." She produced her Roaring Compact, a look of resolve in her eyes. "Even if it means defeating you!"

The twins shifted to their Void Clan attire in a burst of wind and a flash of sparkling light. At the same time, Nanami and Kohaku readied their Roaring Compacts.

"Medal, set! Pretty Cure, Roaring Rebirth!"

Delphinus and Leo touched down in front of Tourmaline and Selenite in a shower of pink and orange sparkles. That was the twins' cue to rush the two head-on. Pretty Cure was ready to meet them.

"That's right." Tourmaline said as she aimed a leaping kick at Delphinus' face. "Yuu and Tsukiko were façades we created to spy on you." The pink Cure narrowly evaded with her shield before summoning her Blossom Scepter and countering with a blast of water. Despite her speed, Tourmaline only narrowly managed to evade it. "We had no intention of becoming your friends!"

"If we posed as normal schoolgirls, we could undermine you from within." Selenite said as she aimed a barrage of light-charged punches at Leo. The orange Cure parried expertly with the Tempest Saber, but it clearly took every bit of concentration she had. "We would destroy you and make Lady Sardonyx happy. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this!"

"Maybe you wanted to spy on us at first!" Delphinus said as she and Tourmaline broke away from one another. "Maybe you wanted to hurt us at first!" She readied her Blossom Scepter before aiming a hail of blasts at Tourmaline. "But you clearly came to see how precious the hearts of other really are!"

Tourmaline's lip curled in annoyance, even as she easily dodged and wove around Delphinus' attacks. Before Delphinus could react, she appeared in front of her with surprising speed before driving a high-pressure burst of wind into her stomach, leaving her doubled over in pain. Even then, Delphinus refused to falter.

"It's true that life is full of fleeting, transient things!" Leo said as she struggled to block Selenite's blows. "And that's why you have to treasure those things while they're still here! You were bound to recognize that eventually!"

For a split-second, Selenite faltered… and then she sprang backwards and fired a blast of silver light from her hand. Leo moved to deflect her attack with the Tempest Saber. The moment she did, Selenite aimed a sweeping kick at her side, sending her flying. Even then, Leo wasted no time in scrambling to her feet.

The twins glanced at one another. Tourmaline leapt backwards several yards before summoning her crossbow and firing a hail of wind arrows at the still-vulnerable Delphinus. At the same time, Selenite summoned her mallet. Before Leo could draw too close, she slammed it into the ground, creating a sparkling silver shockwave that was certain to unseat both Cures. For a brief moment, Delphinus was prepared to dodge the hail of arrows… and then she realized Leo was in danger. The pink Cure immediately dove towards her partner. Selenite's attack safely passed under them as they dodged in midair, but they were still wide open to Tourmaline's arrows.

Leo summoned her shield right as she and Delphinus hit the ground. Unfortunately, it was not made to take so many blows in such short succession. It quickly shattered under Tourmaline's hail of arrows, leaving Leo stunned momentarily. The twins took advantage of the opening and leapt towards the Cures the second they struggled to their feet. Each sister grabbed her opponent roughly, their forms glowing with blue and silver light as they effortlessly threw the pair high into the air. Delphinus and Leo had a split second to to engage their combined shield before the twins sprang into the air and sent them crashing into the ground with a dual energy-charged kick.

"Hmph, is that it?" Tourmaline sneered as she touched down on the ground, her lightless gold eyes coldly scrutinizing her fallen opponents. "Are you even trying, Pretty Cure?"

"I know you don't hate us." Selenite said. "But we still caused you and your friends pain! We still did nothing to help Celes! Can't you use that anger to fight?"

Delphinus shook her head as Leo helped her to her feet. "You're right – it is harder for me to fight you two, now that I know who you are. Even if you are servants of the Void Clan, even if you have caused a great deal of pain, I will always consider you my friends."

"I might never be able to forgive you for your past actions." Leo said. "But it's undeniable that we've shared good memories together."

Tourmaline stared incredulously at the pair. "Do you not care about your kingdom?"

"Do you not care about your sister?" Selenite demanded.

"I do! And I always will!" Delphinus said. "But I care about my dear friends too!"

"Before we are your friends, we are members of the Void Clan!" Tourmaline retorted. "And that's why-"

"I don't see you that way at all!" Delphinus fired back. "I can't think of you as Tourmaline! You're Yuu, the girl who loves nature with all her heart! And I can't think of you as Selenite! You're Tsukiko, the girl who wants to heal others!"

"Those are really the people you want to be, aren't they?" Leo asked the visibly rattled twins. "And that's also why you can't fight us anymore. It's not just about your identities being found out."

Tourmaline and Selenite were silent for a moment in the wake of Delphinus and Leo's words. For a moment, there was a shine in their eyes that had not been there before. And then it rapidly vanished, and they tightened their fists.

"It's not that simple! It's not that simple at all!" Tourmaline exclaimed. "Tsukiko!"

Selenite nodded as she and her sister rushed towards their opponents. Pretty Cure was immediately ready to meet them. Both sides banished their weapons in a flash of light as they drew near one another. They weren't going to need them, not anymore.

Sirius watched as the Cures traded blows with the twins. Pretty Cure was no longer holding back. They were giving it their all as they clashed with their opponents. The twins were no different. Delphinus expertly landed a sharp punch on Selenite, sending her flying backwards. Selenite easily recovered, springing forwards and nailing Delphinus with a sharp kick despite the pink Cure's attempts to block her blow. Tourmaline used her speed to corner Leo, hitting her with a flurry of punches, only for Leo to surprise her with a sharp knee to the stomach.

Hisao approached Sirius as they watched the battle from the sidelines. Sirius did not react. They knew Hisao would not interfere. And indeed, he did not. He simply watched his sisters trade blows with their rivals in solemn silence.

"It's painful, watching them fight like this." Hisao said. "But at the same time, it's oddly inspiring."

Sirius nodded sagely. "They aren't fighting to hurt each other. They're fighting to understand one another's hearts."

"Why yes, I love this world!" Tourmaline said as Leo traded blows, each fighting to match one another's speed. "But I also love Lady Sardonyx!" She and Leo's punches connected in bursts of orange and blue light, causing the wind about them to kick up and electricity to crackle in the air. "To live for Lady Sardonyx! To die for Lady Sardonyx! It was so much easier to think that way!"

"It is hard to change!" Leo said as she fought to break through Tourmaline's hail of blows. "You think I don't know that?" Tourmaline faltered just enough for Leo to pierce her guard, driving her backwards with a straight punch. Tourmaline wasted no time in rushing to meet her. "You think I don't worry about letting down the person who hurt me?"

"I don't want to follow Lady Sardonyx anymore!" Selenite said as she and Delphinus rushed towards one another, meeting one another mid-blow in a shower of water and a burst of silver sparkles before breaking away and repeating the cycle. "But it's because of her that we stand here right now!" She aimed a flurry of kicks at Delphinus, forcing her to parry each one. "If we betray her, won't we be spitting in her face?"

"I saw how much pain Sardonyx was in, back in the forest!" Delphinus said as she broke through Selenite's attacks. The moment she broke Selenite's guard, the younger twin aimed a punch at Delphinus, only for the pink Cure to catch her fist in her hand. "Even now, I refuse to believe she wants this any more than you two do!"

The twins and the Cures broke away from one another, both sides assuming a fighting stance.

"Do you understand the pain your kindness causes us?" Tourmaline said. Her eyes brimmed with tears as her form trembled. "If you two had just hated us from the start-!"

"Yuu…" Selenite whispered, even as she stared down Pretty Cure, her gaze as tearful as her sister's. "Part of me wishes you weren't so kind. That this world wasn't so warm. Then we could follow our orders without regrets."

Delphinus shook her head. "You say that, but I'm glad it turned out this way. From the start, I wanted us to be able to understand one another. Even now, I feel our hearts connecting."

"Is that so?" Tourmaline asked coolly. Her form began to blaze with blue light as she readied herself. "Then, I hope you're able to accept our feelings, Delphinus!"

"Get ready, Pretty Cure!" Selenite's own form began to blaze with silver light. "This is the final blow!"

The twins leapt into the air, their forms blazing like small meteors. Delphinus and Leo rushed forwards and leapt into the air to meet them. The two Cures' forms blazed with pink and orange light as their fists connected with the twins' in mid-air. For a moment, the four participants were suspended in the sky, their forms surrounded by a four-colored fireball of energy. And then that fireball exploded in a rainbow-colored supernova, which was powerful enough to send an explosive sonic boom cutting through the air and bright enough that it could clearly be seen all the way on the other side of the island.

From the beach estate, Tsubasa clenched a nervous fist as she witnessed the explosion from her bedroom window, praying for the safety of her charges and their friends, Yuzuki and Robin quietly wished for their friends' safety as Irene flew to her sister's side for comfort, and Haruno stood on the balcony and marveled at the strange sight before her, wondering why its energy felt so familiar.

Pretty Cure and the twins plunged from the sky in the wake of the explosion, all four girls hitting the ground heavily in bursts of light. All four dazedly stared up at the sky, panting in exertion as Sirius and Hisao rushed towards them. It took a moment for the group to even register the two after their ordeal.

Finally, Delphinus allowed Sirius to help her and then Leo up to a sitting position. "In the end, it seems we were perfectly matched."

Tourmaline shook her head as Hisao helped her and then Selenite up. "No. That's not right. The two of you were just a bit more powerful."

Selenite nodded. "For a moment, we felt the strength of your hearts' bond. Your combination really is invincible."

Leo flushed as she met Delphinus' eyes for a moment. "Well, I do feel invincible whenever I'm with Delphinus."

"As do I." Delphinus said as she laid a hand over Leo's own. "The love Leo and I share really is our greatest power."

"Lady Sardonyx acted like bonds were worthless." Selenite said. "But yours are the reason you fight so well. That says volumes about how wrong we were."

Both parties spent quite some time in silence before they finally struggled to their feet and released their transformations, causing the damage to the area to fade in a shower of shimmering light. The four girls looked terribly spent, and Sirius and Hisao looked terribly worried. But at the same time, everyone seemed at peace.

"You know, it's funny." Yuu said as she stared up at the night sky. "I feel like I've betrayed everything I stood for. And I had to concede a loss to my rivals. But I don't feel upset at all." She offered Tsukiko a warm smile. "If we get through this, I want to live in this world as well. I want to protect the animals here."

The moment Yuu finished speaking, she heard a sudden flutter of wings above her… and then a passing-by bird deposited something into her hand – a blue medallion, which featured the likeness of a peacock.

"The Soaring Medallion!" Sirius exclaimed incredulously. "To think it'd find its way over here!"

Yuu stared blankly at the Soaring Medallion before breaking down cry-laughing. "All that work… all that time spent searching, and it was as easy as…" She let out a very un-Yuu-like snort before flipping the Medallion towards a visibly confused Sirius, who expertly caught it. "There. Find a girl who can use it properly. I know Tsukiko already gave you the one she found."

"I really can't fool my own twin." Tsukiko sighed.

"I'm afraid I don't understand." Sirius said. "If the Roaring Medallions chose the two of you, then surely you should have awakened as Cure Pavo and Cure Lepus. Why-?"

Tsukiko shook her head sadly. "The three of us are existences without proper Roaring Sparks." she said. "Even if the Medallions appeared for us, Yuu and I would never be able to use them."

"We don't need them anyway." Yuu said. "If we are able to change Lady Sardonyx's heart, and you need us, we can just use the powers we have."

" _If_ we can change her heart." Hisao said. "But… we can hash all of that out tomorrow. The helicopters are leaving the island super-early in the morning, right? We don't need to sleep, but you three are a different story."

"That is true." Nanami replied before politely muffling a loud yawn. "I don't think I have any energy left to spare."

"Same…" Kohaku agreed as she caught Nanami's yawn. "And we have school tomorrow too. I don't think even Tsubasa's coffee will help us. Even so, I don't regret any of this." she added as she intertwined her fingers with Nanami's.

"The same to you." Yuu replied. "This was the most satisfying fight I've ever had."

"If we get through this, I hope we can become better and better friends from here." Tsukiko said. "I'd really like that."

THe Illuster refugees and the Void Triad made their way back to the beach estate. The next steps the siblings would take would not be easy ones. They and their former enemies knew that full well. But for now, the future seemed just a little bit brighter.

* * *

Kohaku was right – it had been a struggle to get up the next morning. For once, Nanami was the one nudging her awake as the two Cures readied themselves in a half-stupor before boarding the helicopters. Tsubasa, who had been sent home with several bags of luxury coffee beans and a supply of airsickness medication, said nothing about what the Cures had been up to the night before. But both they and Sirius could catch her shooting the odd concerned glance at them as the helicopter flew them back to Seizato.

After seeing their upperclassmen off, the Illuster refugees and the Hoshikawa siblings returned to Shooting Star together. The siblings made it as far as the entrance before they stopped in their tracks. The sun began to peek over the horizon as the Cures and their allies faced their former enemies.

"So… this is goodbye." Yuu said. "Never thought I'd say this, but I'll miss you guys."

"You're making it sound like we're leaving forever!" Tsukiko exclaimed. "We'll be back once we resolve things with Lady Sardonyx! I promise!"

"I'm not promising anything." Hisao said. "I still think it's a narrow chance. But, it looks like this is the only option we have."

Tsubasa nodded. "When you come back, I'll teach you how to make coffee if you want. Hell, I'll even throw in a free drink order or five. Sounds like you're gonna earn it."

"Even a tall espresso?" Hisao asked wryly.

"Yeah, sure." Tsubasa said. "Confronting your heart-destroying boss _definitely_ merits a tall espresso. Can't even argue with that one."

The three siblings moved to teleport away… only for Nanami, who had spent the last few moments in an exhaustion-induced haze, to snap to attention and start forwards.

"Wait!" she cried. "Please, take me with you!"

Hisao gaped at her. "Why?"

"Celes is being held in the Celestial Citadel, right?" Nanami said, her tone growing more desperate as she spoke. "And Sardonyx has a personal grudge against Illuster's royal family, doesn't she? As princess of Illuster, I have a duty to reason things out with Sardonyx! And as Celes' sister, I have a right to see her! So please! Allow me to accompany you!"

"I suppose you have a decent argument." Yuu said. "And we do owe you after everything we helped put your kingdom through. However-"

"You refuse, right?" Kohaku asked as she placed a comforting arm around Nanami's trembling shoulders.

"My god, how did you know." Yuu deadpanned. Her tone softened as she addressed Nanami. "If we allowed you to come with us, you would be easy prey for Lady Sardonyx. You only narrowly survived last time. Are you banking on another miracle to save you?"

"Lady Sardonyx wouldn't even try to listen to us if you were present." Tsukiko said. "She would only think of destroying you, not hearing us out. And…" She smiled sadly. "I am scared of what might happen to us. But the idea of her killing the two of you is far more painful."

"Don't say that!" Nanami's eyes were welling with tears, even as Kohaku held her close. "If the two of us accompany you, if we combine our powers-!"

Yuu shook her head. "Drop it, Nanami. We're not going to fight Lady Sardonyx anyway. We're her loyal servants. The people she chose above everyone else from the Kingdom of Crystals to revive. If anyone can change her heart, it's the three of us."

"Please sit tight until then." Tsukiko said. "For your sake, we're not going to give up on her! So, please don't give up on us either, okay?"

Nanami nodded tearfully. "I won't." she said. "So please… please stay safe. And if you can… please bring Celes back to me."

The twins nodded in return before glancing at their brother. The Hoshikawa siblings offered Pretty Cure and their allies one last smile before the three vanished in a burst of light, right as the sun rose, bathing Shooting Star and the rest of Seizato in gentle light.

"We'll definitely see each another again." Nanami said quietly. She was trying to convince herself of this. "Because our hearts are connected, and our wills are strong, it will be alright in the end."

"I hope so, Nanami." Kohaku said as she cast one last glance towards where the siblings had stood just a moment ago. "I really do hope so."


	17. Episode Seventeen

**Episode Seventeen** : Shadow of the Void! The Triad is Cornered!

* * *

The lifeless kingdom that Sardonyx presided over had never felt more unwelcoming to the Void Triad than it did now. Going from the Himi family's warm and colorful private island to a cold and gray landscape like this had a bit to do with it. But much more of it had to do with the anticipation and fear that plagued the three siblings. They might have seen Pretty Cure off on a – mostly – hopeful note, but once they returned, the weight of what they were about to do had hit the trio like a sledgehammer.

None of the three regretted turning down Nanami's pleas to take her with them. Maybe it would have been the ethical decision, but pragmatically, it would have likely ended in disaster. And yet, Tourmaline and Selenite mused to themselves as they and Agate approached the audience chamber with the solemnity of condemned souls approaching the gallows, having Pretty Cure around would have helped them feel a great deal more confident.

The Void Triad's journey took but a few minutes, but it seemed to last for years. The twins took point the entire way, their footsteps echoing through the corridors of the all-too-quiet Citadel as their brother trailed behind them. Neither sister let go of the other's hand until they had approached the doors of the audience chamber, which opened on their own.

Sardonyx was already seated on her throne despite their earliness of the hour, her gaze following the Void Triad intently as they entered the audience chamber. Celes was conspicuously absent. It seemed that the Void Clan leader had been anticipating this meeting as much as her underlings had. The Triad hesitated momentarily before approaching Sardonyx.

"So, you have finally returned to me, my Void Triad." Sardonyx's voice was a bit strained, and something about her body language was just a bit off. "And those solemn expressions… you must have a pressing matter to report. Speak, then."

Tourmaline and Selenite nodded to one another before stepping forwards. Agate hung back. This was to be his sisters' moment. Both had made that quite clear to him beforehand.

"Lady Sardonyx, you must know that I hold you in the highest esteem." Tourmaline said. "Even now, I wish for your happiness. But we can no longer follow the path you have laid out for us!"

"Emotions… dreams… willpower… you might think of such fleeting things as worthless. We thought so too until we spent time on Earth." Selenite said. "But now we understand! Because they are fleeting, you must cherish them while they last!"

Tourmaline nodded in agreement with her sister. "Humans are more resilient than you give them credit for. Even if their happiness is transient, they can still live life to the fullest. Even if their dreams can be shattered, they can still find a way to go on."

Selenite pleadingly clasped her hands in front of her. "We will never forget your generous decision to revive us. You must love us as much as we love you. So please…"

Tourmaline dropped into a bow alongside her sister. "If you value us, then listen to our one request! We ask it for your sake as well as ours!"

"Lady Sardonyx… let's end this!" the twins chorused. "Please, give up on your world of silence!"

A pall of silence fell over the audience chamber in the wake of the twins' plea. Sardonyx looked genuinely affected by their words. Her mouth was moving silently, and as Tourmaline and Selenite straightened up, they noticed she was on the edge of tears. For a brief moment, the twins felt the tiniest twinge of hope. Even Agate found himself smiling a little. Maybe they had reached her heart.

And then the temperature in the room suddenly spiked, and that twinge of hope dissipated.

Sardonyx dug her nails into the arm of her throne. The smell of burning wood cut through the air as she regarded the twins. She seemed to have trouble making eye contact with them.

"Tourmaline… Selenite. Are you actually asking me to concede against Pretty Cure?"

Tourmaline felt her fight or flight instinct kick in. Still, she stood her ground. "Pretty Cure has offered us their assistance in restoring our kingdom, Lady Sardonyx. There's no reason to fight them."

Selenite grasped her sister's trembling hand in her own. "Our invasion of this kingdom was pointless to begin with. Just as… as everything about this is! Allying with them is the wisest choice."

Sardonyx looked away sharply. "I can't." she hissed under her breath. Her form was beginning to tremble. "I can't, I'm not allowed to, I can't!"

Agate took his place by his sisters. "Lady Sardonyx! It's fine if you hate Pretty Cure! But Tourmaline… Selenite… Princess Celes… you care about them, don't you? They're children, Lady Sardonyx! It's cruel to make children wage a pointless war for your sake! Can you at least do it for them?"

Sardonyx's mouth worked silently before frantic-sounding words tumbled out. "Celes is… I never wanted to… if I didn't, she'd get rid of… I have to, I have to-!"

Suddenly, Sardonyx's form went rigid. The Void Triad instinctively flinched backwards as the temperature in the air climbed, and Sardonyx's shadow loomed larger and larger behind her. Her form trembled in rage all the while. Rage or perhaps agony. She was either a woman boiling over with fury or a woman in terrible pain. Maybe it was both.

And then the audience chamber doors slammed shut, and the air grew ice cold.

For a moment, Sardonyx sat slouched in her throne, dead silent. And then she began to laugh. It was soft at first, but it rapidly developed into hysterics as she looked up at the Void Triad. A mounting sense of wrongness began to buzz in the air as she rose to her feet and regarded her subordinates. There was nothing but contempt in her gaze.

"After all this time, you still have not realized what you are?" Before the Triad could answer, Sardonyx shook her head. "Obviously not. You would not have dared speak to me like that if you had."

Selenite stared at Sardonyx in confusion. "Lady Sardonyx?"

Sardonyx stared right back. "Love?" she asked disdainfully. "I have no use for such a concept. Especially where mere beasts are concerned."

Tourmaline started forwards. "What are you even talking about?!"

Sardonyx extended a hand pulsing intensely with violet energy in the Void Triad's direction. The siblings had half a moment to register what was about to happen before three immense bolts of darkness leapt towards them. The three screamed in agony and writhed in pain as they were engulfed in the blast. Each felt as if they were in danger of being pulled apart, and once Sardonyx finally called off the attack, each felt as if something essential had been ripped right out of them.

As the injured Triad collapsed weakly to the ground, their forms flickered rapidly before finally stabilizing. The siblings stared in horror at one another. For a moment, the three of them had seen one another for what they truly were. Not humans. Not even remotely humanoid.

A rat snake. A peahen. A rabbit. Mere animals.

"There was no way I could bring back my countrymen. Their Roaring Sparks were lost to me." Sardonyx explained. Her voice sounded a million miles away to the Void Triad. "But because animals have less developed Roaring Sparks, they did not succumb as quickly. Once I found three to act as raw materials, I created you. False existences that would help me realize my ideal world."

Selenite stared down at her hands. "So that's why we couldn't remember anything." A tear trickled down her nose and splashed on the floor. "There was never anything to remember."

"Why are _you_ upset?" Sardonyx asked. "I wasted so much of my precious time and energy on you, and you proved completely worthless. The tragedy is mine."

"Shut up!" Selenite abruptly struggled to her feet, her silver eyes glinting with cold fury. "Yuu was always tearing herself apart over you! My sister was willing to die for you, and you lied to her! You lied to all of us! And now you play the victim? I hate you! I hate you more than anyone!"

Selenite started towards the nonplussed Sardonyx, her hands glowing with silver energy. The moment she tried to strike, her injuries overcame her, and she pitched forwards. The sight snapped Tourmaline out of her numb stupor. She flew to Selenite's side, stabilizing her sister before she could hit the ground.

"Tsukiko, please don't…" Her voice sounded very small and weak even to her own ears as she sought out her twin sister's hand. It had never felt colder. "I'm not worth it…"

Sardonyx was completely unmoved. "You would reserve all your contempt for me? And none for the guilty-looking one among your number? My, animals really are so stupid."

Tourmaline and Selenite glanced towards Agate. He was guiltily averting his eyes from his sisters, a sight that sent ice into both their stomachs.

"You..." Tourmaline's irises shrunk in fury as she rounded on her brother. "You knew all along, didn't you?!"

Agate averted his gaze from his sisters. "Since not long after we first woke up. Guess I wasn't made correctly." He laughed bitterly. "At first, I kept quiet, so you wouldn't hurt like I did. One malfunctioning tool was enough. But then..."

Tourmaline grabbed Agate by the arms. "You thought this would help us?" she snapped. "Lying to us constantly? Giving Tsukiko and me false hope? Some brother you are!"

"I'm so sorry." Agate said. He still didn't meet Tourmaline's eyes. "The longer I lied, the more comfortable you two got on Earth, the harder it became to admit the truth. I'm not saying it's right!"

"'Sorry' doesn't change a thing!" Tourmaline roughly shoved Agate away from her as she tightened a first. "You should have just told us." she hissed as her clenched fist began to glow with blue light. "Then we wouldn't have... we wouldn't have dared-!"

Selenite caught Tourmaline's arm before she could strike. "Yuu, that's enough! Even if you're angry at big bro, he thought he was doing the right thing." Her words suggested she had forgiven Agate. Her tone revealed that she was as hurt as Tourmaline was. "Fighting each other won't help us."

"That is correct." Sardonyx purred behind the Void Triad. "It is amusing, watching you beasts tear into one another. But it is to your detriment. The clock is ticking, you know."

The Triad instantly forgot their quarrel with one another. The three froze where they were, staring at Sardonyx in confusion.

Sardonyx smiled a bit too widely as a sizable fireball of violet energy appeared in her hand. "I have taken back most of the energy I used to create you. As you are now, you will lose your humanoid forms by sundown. And once you return to being animals, your minds will revert to those of animals as well. For you three, that is the same as dying."

Selenite started towards Sardonyx once more. "Lady Sardonyx, you can't-!"

Sardonyx narrowed her eyes and dismissed the fireball before firing a bolt of energy at Selenite. Agate leapt in front of her, letting out a hiss of pain as the bolt caught him across the side, leaving a visible scorch mark.

"'s alright. 'm fine." he muttered as Selenite moved to fret over him.

"I am generous enough to give you one last chance. If you can collect a sufficiently large amount of negative energy before sundown, I shall restore your power. I will have to keep you on a tighter leash, of course. But you will be allowed to be frozen forever alongside me. That is the ideal, no? Your lives for me, correct?"

Sardonyx's eyes lingered pointedly on Tourmaline as she spoke. All light had fled the older twin's eyes. She could not meet Sardonyx's gaze, even as she felt it boring into her.

With her piece said, Sardonyx's eyes flashed violet, and a circle of violet runes appeared at Triad's feet.

"I cannot stand looking at insubordinate creatures like yourselves any longer." Sardonyx said darkly. "If you perform well, you shall have the right to see me again. Until then, begone from my sight."

Before any of the siblings could say anything more, there was a burst of violet light, and they had vanished from the audience chamber.

* * *

The sky hanging above Seizato was gloomy and gray that morning. Even after a quick nap and two strong cups of coffee, Nanami and Kohaku still felt horribly drained, and the weather did not help their energy levels. It certainly did not ease the two's minds either.

The Hoshikawa siblings had seemed so hopeful when they had departed. But both Cures remembered how Sardonyx had conducted herself during their confrontation. She had been so utterly merciless and so completely unbothered by using her subordinates as human batteries. She did not seem like a woman who could be reasoned with, let alone one who would suffer betrayals lightly. For all the two knew, that really had been the last time they were going to see the siblings. And because those three had refused Nanami's pleas, there was nothing the pair could do about it.

Amane stared melancholically up at the sky as she and Pretty Cure headed through Sorairo's front gates. "Looks like rain. So much for softball practice, I guess." A despondent sigh reached her ears. She looked over at Nanami, who seemed a little wilted. "You okay, Nanami? Did something happen on the island?"

Nanami snapped to attention. "Oh no, that's not it." She tried to force a smile. She was fooling no one. "Everything went well! I had a great deal of fun, and Kohaku and I became much closer!"

"Yeah, I could kind of tell." As Amane spoke, her eyes flitted towards Kohaku, who had not let go of Nanami's hand the entire way. "I'm glad…" For a moment, Amane's voice sounded a bit distant before she shook it off. "Anyway! If I can do anything to help, please let me know! Anything at all!"

Nanami and Kohaku's reassurance had not made Amane worry any less. That was understandable. Once the Cures took their seats, they were met with Yuu and Tsukiko's conspicuously empty desks. A small part of Nanami wanted to believe they would not remain empty. Any second now, the twins would enter the classroom, and all would be well. All that worrying would be for nothing.

But that was not to be. The twins never showed up.

"That's odd." Amane said as homeroom prepared to wind down. "Yuu and Tsukiko should be here by now." Pretty Cure looked distinctly upset at the mention of the sisters. It did not escape her. "Oh no… something _did_ happen on the island, didn't it? Did they get sick or hurt, or did you guys have a fight, or-?"

"No, it's nothing like that." Kohaku lied. She hardly sounded convinced of her own words. "We don't know what happened."

Nanami nodded. "They seemed fine this morning." Not quite a lie but not entirely the truth. "I don't know why they wouldn't show up."

Misaki had looked distinctly uncomfortable as Nanami and Kohaku spoke. Taeko looked no better. Both still tried to put on a friendly face when they approached the Cures' desks.

"Hey, uh… Misaki-chan, Sakkun, and I were gonna do a rainy-day photoshoot if you wanna come with?" Taeko offered.

"You both look like you could use a distraction." Misaki agreed. "I'm sure those two will be fine. Magic idol Mai Heart believes in them! And if something happens, Pretty Cure will save them, right?"

It was even harder for Nanami to force a smile this time. "I would like to believe they would." As if the siblings had not barred Pretty Cure from helping them. "It is a bit silly of me to worry so much."

Homeroom started in earnest, and Nanami stopped even trying to seem alright. The princess sighed miserably as she stared out the window at the gray and rainy landscape before her. Where were the twins right now? Were they even alive? Would she and Kohaku ever see the sisters or their brother again?

Kohaku looked no less miserable as she stared down at her desk, scribbling absently in the margins of her notebook. It was clear that the same matters were weighing on her. Nanami knew she could do little to cheer her partner up, given her own state. But they could at least support one another.

The school day seemed to last a small eternity. Nanami found it almost impossible to concentrate during class, and she caught Megumi staring worriedly at her and Kohaku a few times. Kohaku spent gym class fumbling every ball she was passed and spacing out badly enough to take a volleyball to the face. And all the while, uncomfortable whispers floated through the air, piqued by the twins' sudden absence. It took everything in Nanami and Kohaku's power to remain composed in the face of them.

The gray and drizzly weather had made eating in the courtyard an unappealing prospect. Nanami and Kohaku instead put their desks together and ate lunch with the rest of 2-B. Or they at least tried. Even something as wonderful as Kohaku's cooking was threatening to lose its flavor in their mouths.

As the Cures nibbled half-heartedly on their food, a sudden hush fell over 2-B. Moments later, Yuzuki pulled up a chair and sat near them.

"I was afraid of this." she said, as her eyes settled on Yuu and Tsukiko's empty desks. "Nanami, Kohaku… did something happen with those two? As student council president, I cannot turn a blind eye to unexplained absences. And as your friend, I cannot ignore two of your dear friends vanishing like this."

Nanami and Kohaku exchanged glances. For a moment, both Cures wanted to tell Yuzuki the truth. But neither could bring themselves to do so.

"Yuu and Tsukiko said they were feeling a little sick after the trip home." Nanami said, her words ringing hollow in her mouth.

"Yeah, it's probably nothing serious." Kohaku agreed.

Yuzuki answered their denials with a smile and a polite nod before immediately changing the subject to her and Robin's plans for summer vacation. It was clear, however, that she had not bought either Cure's lies. Not that it mattered. She could do no more to help the twins than they could.

In the end, Pretty Cure had declined Misaki and Taeko's invitation. Nanami had informed Amane she would not be attending the library committee meeting either. Amane had borne the news with a polite smile and an understanding nod, but Nanami could tell she was a bit upset.

"I really do want to go." Nanami said as she and Kohaku stepped out of the classroom and made their way down the hallway. "But Tsukiko won't be there when I show up. It's selfish of me, but I don't want another reason to worry."

Kohaku took Nanami's hand in her own. "It isn't selfish." she said. "I told Robin I wouldn't attend the fencing meeting either. I know I wouldn't be able to focus."

"That probably is for the best. I'm still worried about your nose."

For a moment, Kohaku managed to smile. "Oh, it's fine." she said as she rubbed the bridge of said nose. It still was a bit swollen, but she couldn't bring herself to be fussed about it. "Trust me, Nanami, I've had much worse."

The two Cures traveled in silence until they reached their shoe lockers and retrieved their outdoor shoes. And then the clouds in the sky burst, releasing a peal of thunder and a downpour of rain, and something in Nanami burst right along with them. She slammed a fist into her locker, her form trembling with grief in rage.

"Damn it!" she hissed. "Why did they have to be so stubborn? If they had taken us along, we could have fought together! We could have combined our powers! We could have helped Celes…"

Kohaku gently pulled Nanami into her embrace. "I know." she said as she rubbed her sobbing partner's back. "But those three had a right to be worried. Maybe I don't agree with their decision, but I understand it. They likely felt better risking themselves than us."

Nanami nodded. Nevertheless, she did not let go of Kohaku for some time. When she finally did, her eyes were reddened, and her glasses were terribly fogged up.

"We can wait that out if you want." Kohaku said, indicating the rainstorm outside. "I don't mind at all."

"It's alright." Nanami took Kohaku's rough and calloused hand in her smooth and delicate one. "I can endure anything, as long as you're with me."

As Nanami spoke, she looked out at the gray and rainy sky, sending a mental prayer to Yuu and Tsukiko, wherever they were. She and Kohaku glanced at one another before stepping outside hand-in-hand, opening their umbrellas as they went along. The two Cures made it a few paces out of the school gates before something barreled into Nanami, nearly knocking her over.

Kohaku was immediately on the defensive… for all of about thirty seconds before she and Nanami registered who had ran into them.

It was Tsukiko. The younger twin was soaking wet, and her gray eyes looked even duller than usual. She stared blankly at Pretty Cure for a moment, as if she did not recognize them. And then she flung herself towards Nanami, clinging tightly to the other girl as she began to sob hysterically.

Neither Nanami nor Kohaku had any idea what was going on. They were too shocked to ask, and Tsukiko was too hysterical to answer. But it was clearly nothing good.

* * *

The clock was ticking for Yuu Hoshikawa. It was already the afternoon, and she had failed to procure a single drop of negative energy. Soon enough, it would be sundown. And then she and her siblings would effectively be dead.

The older twin was leaning against a building in downtown Seizato, her lightless eyes staring out into space as rain dripped down off the awning above her. A teenage girl sitting out in a rainstorm like this had drawn plenty of strange looks and the odd concerned comment. It barely registered with Yuu. She was dying. Her entire existence was a lie. Why care about strangers' opinions now?

She had no idea where Tsukiko or Hisao were. Her twin sister and older brother had been nowhere to be seen when she had come to in downtown Seizato. Yuu could barely remember what she had been doing the past few hours, save searching for them in a haze, to little avail. At this rate, she might never see them again. Not unless she went after another Roaring Spark.

Not just any Roaring Spark would do. Sardonyx had focused on Yuu for a reason. This was her final cruelty. Her last twist of the knife. Creating three fake humans and lying to them had not been enough. Pretending she loved Yuu while secretly looking down on the mere bird twisted into human form she was had not been enough. No, Yuu would have to sacrifice Irene to save her siblings.

It should have been so easy, Yuu mused bitterly. She should have been able to chase down Irene and finally finish what she had started. But…

 _"That girl… if we create a strong Utsuroid out of her, if Pretty Cure cannot purify her in time, she will never return."_

 _"What right do you have to take someone else's sister away?"_

 _"I wanted to disappear for a long time. I didn't see the point of being around. But you ease those feelings, Yuu. Thank you for being here."_

…she couldn't even consider doing it. The three of them were dying, and she couldn't bring herself to hurt a girl she had only valued as a target before. Pathetic.

Some birds flew down from the roof of the store and gathered around Yuu, chirping quizzically as they regarded her. Usually, the sight would have been comforting. Right now, it filled her with rage.

"Go away!" she snapped. The birds did not budge. "Leave me alone!" They remained where they were. Yuu looked away miserably. "Fine. Be that way."

Even now, Yuu felt her human form flaking away. At first, she had just felt a bit strange, but she was feeling more disconnected from her body by the moment and had been increasingly plagued by phantom sensations of her true form. She had been so proud of her affinity with birds once. So happy seeing those peafowl at the zoo. It stung terribly in hindsight, now that she knew what she was.

The birds that had gathered around Yuu suddenly took wing as the sound of footsteps reached her ears. Moments later, Yuzuki Himi came into view, a fancy umbrella held over her head as she glided through the storm like a beautiful rain spirit. At first, she walked right past Yuu… and then she froze in her tracks before doubling back towards her.

"Yuu? What are you doing here? And why weren't you at school?"

Yuu did not so much as look up. That did not deter Yuzuki any. She crouched down besides Yuu, holding her umbrella over the two's heads.

"Nanami and Kohaku have been terribly worried about you, you know. Robin was asking after you as well. Those two told me you and your siblings were sick, but…" Yuzuki frowned. "It's something more than that, isn't it?"

The mention of Nanami and Kohaku made Yuu's stomach lurch. To think, she had allowed herself to believe she could be friends with those two. They were part of the reason Sardonyx had discarded them. Yuu should have hated them for it. But she couldn't. The only people Yuu could feel any real hatred for were Sardonyx and herself.

"Why do you care so much?" Yuu asked coldly. She did not take her eyes off her hands all the while. They were feeling more and more like wings by the moment.

"You're a student of this school, so I can't ignore your skipping class. And I think of you and Tsukiko as friends, so I can't look the other way in obvious pain." Yuzuki was looking at Yuu with such concern. It pained the younger girl terribly. "Please, if anything is wrong, let me know. I want to do anything I can to help you and your sister."

Yuu sniffed disdainfully under her breath. "There's nothing you can do."

Herself, on the other hand… if she didn't act soon, it would be over for the three of them. Tsukiko was too gentle for this. And she could not trust Hisao. This was something only she could do.

"Please don't say that!" Yuzuki exclaimed. "There has to be _something_! I don't wish to pry into your personal matters! But I don't want to see you hurting like this, Yuu!"

Yuu remained stonily silent. That did not deter Yuzuki either. Instead, she got up and extended her hand towards Yuu.

"First, let's get you out of this rain. You'll catch a cold if you stay out here."

Yuu stared wide-eyed at the hand Yuzuki had offered her. For a moment, she found herself reaching out to take it… and then she abruptly slapped it away. She scrambled to her feet, glaring daggers at Yuzuki. The older girl reached out to stop her, but it was to no avail. Yuu was lightning-quick on her feet and quickly left Yuzuki in the dust.

Once Yuu started running, she did not stop. Rain battered her form, and she almost slipped and fell on the pavement a few times. It barely slowed her down. She had to get away from Yuzuki. She could not remain around her or any of these other infuriatingly compassionate humans. It would just make this more difficult than it already was.

More and more birds flocked near Yuu as she fled, despite her making no attempt to call on them. Her powers were destabilizing like the rest of her. Not that she cared.

All that mattered was Irene. She had to find Irene. She had to deal with Irene. Or the three of them would essentially die. And it would be all her fault.

The thought burned like acid. The actual act would be pure agony. But that was fine. She could endure anything if it kept the three of them alive.

Couldn't she?

* * *

Tsukiko had been dead silent throughout the bulk of her and the Cures' journey back to Shooting Star. The younger twin seemed to be in a state of shock, and there was no getting her out of it. Neither Nanami nor Kohaku wanted to pressure Tsukiko for an answer, but her silence made them both terribly nervous. What had happened between the siblings and Sardonyx?

Rabbits were trailing the group as they went along. There had only been one or two popping up nearby at first, but soon, they had been coming right up to the trio. They seemed drawn to Tsukiko, who absently picked one up and carried it the rest of the way, occasionally gently petting its fur as it snuggled up to her. By the time they had arrived outside of Shooting Star, the girls were being tailed by a veritable rabbit parade.

"I'm sorry." Tsukiko did not take her eyes off the rabbit she held as she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "I tried to call them off, but…"

Nanami just smiled. "It's okay, Tsukiko. Come on, let's get you inside where it's safe. We can talk there."

Tsukiko looked like she wanted to cut and run for a moment. But finally, she nodded before solemnly sitting the rabbit down. It scurried to rejoin its fellows. They did not attempt to follow the girls into Shooting Star, but they did not leave either.

The atmosphere in Shooting Star was disconcertingly casual. Or it was until Pretty Cure and Tsukiko entered. Megumi, who was seated at a nearby table, stared in shock at the sight of one of her truant students, Sirius, who was near the counter, whined softly, having picked up on something amiss, and Tsubasa, who was standing behind the counter, nearly spilled the coffee she was pouring.

Before either Aozora sister could say anything, the door suddenly burst open, and a visibly strung out Hisao stumbled inside. He seemed to have difficulty making his legs work. Judging by how he had to flail a bit before he steadied himself with a nearby table, he wasn't having much luck with his arms either.

You could almost hear the record scratch as most everyone present in Shooting Star stared at Hisao, his younger sister, and his sister's friends. Awkward silence reigned in the café for several moments before Tsubasa abruptly untied her apron and offered it to Megumi.

"Meg, could you spot me for a second? Won't be too long, and I doubt we'll have a crowd with this weather." Her eyes flitted towards Pretty Cure and the siblings. "I need to talk with them. In private."

Megumi looked mildly offended, both at Tsubasa's request and the nerve of one of her students to casually grace her presence after skipping school. But finally, she made a soft noise of assent.

"Yeah, fine. I do owe you. But you're going to compensate me, right?"

Tsubasa tried to look exasperated, but it was easy to tell she was grateful. "Of course. I'll pay you double if I have to, Meg." As she motioned Pretty Cure, the siblings, and Sirius towards the stairs, she added "And thanks. Really."

"No problem." Megumi said. She flashed Tsubasa a genuine smile before she tied her apron on and stepped behind the counter.

"Don't worry about Meg." Tsubasa told the group as she guided them towards her bedroom. "Mom taught both of us about coffee-making – she knows enough to manage for a little while."

Tsubasa wanted an explanation of what was going on. Pretty Cure and Sirius were no different. But before anything else, the café owner had been insistent on furnishing the siblings with towels – even if they couldn't get sick, they were dripping water everywhere and causing her quite a bit of stress while they were at it.

"It's Sardonyx, isn't it?" Nanami asked. She and most of the others were seated in various spots around Tsubasa's bedroom. Tsubasa herself leaned against the wall, a grim expression on her face. "I'm glad I can see you again, but it must not have ended well."

Tsukiko nodded miserably as she stared down at her feet. "Yuu and I tried so hard to convince her, but…"

Whatever Tsukiko was going to say next rapidly devolved into broken sobbing. That was Hisao's cue to step in and explain what was going on. So, he did, starting from the siblings' confrontation with Sardonyx and ending with him trailing Tsukiko to Shooting Star.

Nanami and Kohaku felt a chill settle into the room in the wake of the siblings' explanation. Those three had been apprehensive at best about confronting Sardonyx. And it had been clear during their battle with her that Sardonyx did not value the siblings the way they valued her. But…

"You're dying." Kohaku said hollowly. "You stood up to Sardonyx, and she condemned you to die."

"That's right." Hisao said. "Unless we take that out she gave us, we'll turn back into normal animals by sundown. And if we _did_ take it, we wouldn't live. We'd just be surviving."

Tsukiko wiped her eyes with the towel draped over her shoulders. "She wouldn't let us live as humans anymore. We'd have to serve her until you destroyed us. And I don't want that, so…"

Nanami shook her head. "No. This can't be the end!" She looked over at Sirius, her eyes shining with desperation. "Siri, you must know a way to help them, don't you? There has to be _something_ , right? Or we could…" She looked towards Hisao and Tsukiko. "You can take us back to Illuster! There's still time! If we combine our powers, we can change Sardonyx's mind!"

Hisao shook his head sadly. "I tried teleporting back the moment I woke up here, princess. But I can't anymore. She took that away from us too."

Sirius' ears drooped. "And I do know a great deal, true, true. But this is not a problem I know a solution to."

Tsubasa looked absolutely crushed by the siblings' revelation. "Hisao… I'm sorry." Her voice sounded very soft and un-Tsubasa-like. "If I'd known I would help get you killed, I wouldn't've run my mouth like I did."

Hisao looked unperturbed. "I don't regret it, and you shouldn't either. I'd rather spend my last few waking moments as a free man than carry on like I did. And besides…" He sighed miserably as he glanced over at Tsukiko. "I have things to answer for myself."

"I'm still upset with you for lying." Tsukiko said. "But there's no point in holding a grudge. Not when we're all dying. Besides… if Yuu and I had known, we never would have let ourselves enjoy Earth." She smiled sadly at Nanami and Kohaku. "Thank you. Even if it was brief, I'm glad I got to be your friend."

Nanami pulled Tsukiko into a hug. "Please, don't speak like that! We'll find something… anything that lets you three stay human! For your sake, we can't give up!"

"Lady Nanami, the Roaring Sparks of sapient and non-sapient beings are completely different." Sirius wasn't even trying to sound cheerful. "Even I know of no way to give the former to the latter."

"But…" Nanami held Tsukiko as if she feared the other girl might vanish in her arms. "Those three have human emotions! They have dreams of their own! And they have plenty of willpower! Their Roaring Sparks are every bit as human as our own! It isn't fair that-!"

Tsukiko gently pulled away from Nanami. "There's nothing you can do." she said quietly, her form trembling like a leaf. "No matter what we do, no matter how we feel, we…" She broke down sobbing. "No… no, it isn't fair! It isn't fair at all!" she hissed as she tightened a fist. "Why does it have to be this way? Why can't we-?!"

Her words faded into incoherent sobbing again as both Hisao and Nanami moved to comfort her. Even Sirius joined in, shifting into their dog form before lying their head across her lap. Even if they could not save her, they could at least do this much.

Kohaku had remained contemplatively silent for the last few moments. Without warning, she got up and approached the door.

"It's not that I don't care about your feelings, Tsukiko." she said, her tone grim. "But we need to find Yuu, and quickly."

It took several moments for Tsukiko to gather herself enough to respond. But finally, she wiped her eyes again and nodded.

"Yeah. It'd be nice if you guys helped us find her. I want the three of us to be together in the end."

Kohaku looked away from Tsukiko. "That's not it. You said it yourselves – if you collect a great deal of negative energy by sundown, you can stay human. And I remember Yuu saying something about 'deciding how to deal with' Irene back on the island."

"Yeah… Irene was originally Yuu's 'side project'." Tsukiko admitted reluctantly. "But she doesn't see her that way anymore! She wouldn't-!"

Nanami took her place by Kohaku's side. "You and Hisao are her precious siblings. And it's like siblings to want to protect each other, no matter what." Her eyes darkened a bit. "If I had to resort to such drastic measures to protect Celes, I would at least be tempted."

Moments after Nanami spoke, she and Kohaku's phones went off. According to Yuzuki's text message, which Kohaku read aloud for the others, she had encountered Yuu in downtown Seizato. The latter had been in a terrible state, and she had not been able to get her to explain what was going on before she had run away. Worse, she had not been able to find her since.

Tsukiko still looked reluctant to believe the worst of Yuu, but she seemed to have accepted Nanami and Kohaku's argument in the wake of Yuzuki's message.

"Remember what I told you, back during the sports festival? If you two can't defeat an Utsuroid, its owner will never recover. And every human around it could become infected as well." Tsukiko nodded resolutely as she stood up. "Maybe it's too late for the three of us. But we can still save Irene. Let's go."

Hisao stood up as well but not without staggering a bit. "Obviously, I'm game as well. Mind lending me a helping paw, Sirius? You owe me that."

"Of course, of course!" Sirius said. "I'm not one to forget a promise!"

"I wish I could help you guys." Tsubasa said. "But I've got Shooting Star to look after. All I can do is wish you the best of luck. And…" She offered Hisao her hand. "It really was nice, getting to know you and your sisters. I'm sorry it turned out like this."

Hisao simply smiled and shook his head before taking Tsubasa's hand in his own. The two shared a firm handshake and a nod of understanding before he departed with the others. Tsubasa watched them from her bedroom window. Only when they had vanished from view did she finally descend the stairs and take back over from Megumi.

Nanami and Kohaku led the charge as the group exited Shooting Star and embarked on their search for Yuu, umbrellas in hand. Neither Cure was happy about how this had turned out. Neither wanted to stand by helplessly as the Hoshikawa siblings faded away. But Tsukiko was right – if they didn't act, Irene and perhaps the whole of Seizato would be at risk. They could not lose sight of that.

* * *

Not even the rain could bring Irene's spirits down that afternoon. She was happily humming to herself as she finished organizing one of Rainbow Connections' pet food displays before moving on to feeding the fish. She had so much fun on the island with everyone. She and Yuu had become even better friends than before. And this morning, she had seen something wonderful, something that she just had to show Yuu. Who cared about a little bit of bad weather? Her mood was far too sunny for a bit of rain to daunt!

Irene giggled to herself over what a Robin-like notion that was, just as a loud cacophony of noise cut through the air. Piyo had suddenly become incredibly agitated. The budgie was making a string of increasingly loud and distressed-sounding vocalizations as he frantically fluttered his wings and batted against the door of his cage, as if there were somewhere he needed to be.

Chiasa wasted no time in hurrying towards Piyo. "What in the world has gotten into you?" she asked the budgie, who responded by growing even more agitated.

The sight rattled Irene terribly. True, Piyo was a butt, but this kind of behavior wasn't like him. Still, stressing over Piyo wouldn't help Chiasa, who was already doing enough stressing over Piyo for the both of them. At times like this, the best thing she could do was stay productive. And so, she forced herself to turn her attentions back to the fish…

…and saw Yuu reflected in the glass of the tank in front of her. The older girl's expression was blank, and her eyes seemed even duller than normal as she loomed behind Irene. She looked both horribly tense and terribly exhausted. And on top of that, she was soaked to the bone. Altogether, she looked terrible… and yet, Irene was so happy to see her that she could easily overlook that. The second she was done feeding the fish, she turned around and pulled Yuu into a tight hug.

"Yuu! I'm glad!" she whispered. "There's something I want to show you."

Yuu should have been happy about this. Not only was Irene right where she thought she would be, the girl was already making herself absurdly easy to deal with. Salvation for Yuu and her siblings was within arm's reach. But that would mean hurting a girl who was treating her with unconditional trust and affection, even when she was like this. She couldn't feel happy about this at all.

"Is that so?" Yuu wasn't even trying to sound friendly. "Aren't you supposed to be working, Irene? Is it okay to just take off with me like this?"

Irene shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm only helping because I feel like it. And besides…" She grinned up at Yuu. "I'd rather be with you anyway."

Yuu looked aside sharply, feeling as if her heart were about to burst out of her chest. From a million miles away, she heard Piyo growing more desperate to escape his cage and reach her, Chiasa wondering what was wrong with the budgie in between seeing to the store's tiny handful of customers, and Irene asking her if something was wrong.

For a moment, Yuu considered giving up. She could say she had somewhere else to be and forget this entire thing. Tsukiko and Hisao had to be somewhere in Seizato. They could at least be together in the end. Maybe she could track down Pretty Cure as well. They could at least share one final goodbye.

And then she caught sight of a mottled brown wing where her hand should have been. It was just for a split second and judging by the total lack of reaction of the humans around her, no one else had seen it. But it was enough to clinch her decision. If it came down to the three of them or Irene, she had to choose the former, no matter how painful it was.

"You don't mind if we go off together, do you?" Yuu asked Chiasa. She tried to sound friendlier this time, but her demeanor was still strained.

Chiasa looked away from trying to soothe Piyo, who had calmed down only slightly. "I don't mind at all." she said. "I don't expect to be busy enough to need your help. But please, at least have Irene get you an umbrella from the back. You're going to make yourself sick running around in the rain like that."

Yuu suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Even if a magical construct could get sick, illness was the very least of her concerns at present.

Irene pumped her fist in victory before hurrying to retrieve an umbrella for Yuu. With that done, the two girls departed hand-in-hand. Irene skipped a little as they left Rainbow Connections, humming and singing to herself all the while. The flurry of birds that followed the pair along their way only made Irene's spirits soar higher.

Yuu could manage no such cheerfulness. She stared ahead grimly, her face an expressionless mask as she quietly agonized over what she was about to do. Hopefully, she could make at least these last moments quick. That would be the final bit of kindness she could give Irene.

* * *

Kugelblitz was growing agitated. Even now as she sat on a bench in one of the gardens she hadn't destroyed, trying to soothe her jangled nerves by weaving a chain of flowers as Celes sat on the grass nearby, brushing and styling her doll's hair, Sardonyx could hear her loud and clear.

 _It has been hours. And yet, they have done nothing. Idiotic beasts. You would think they would be desperate enough to act now._

Sardonyx gritted her teeth and kept working. She had no choice but to listen to Kugelblitz. She was nothing without the Queen of the Void. But she didn't want to. Not after what she had done.

 _I am so very close, Sardonyx. I can wait no longer. You have the power to create another one. Do it._

And how was she supposed to do that? There were no living things left here, save her and Celes. Kugelblitz had forbidden the former from leaving, and she had threatened to abandon Sardonyx if she attempted it. And now she was supposed to replace the Triad? Using what?

 _How am I supposed to know? That is your responsibility, Sardonyx. What an obstinate child you are._

Right now, more than ever, Sardonyx wished she could purge herself of Kugelblitz and be done with it. She wanted nothing to do with a woman who had taken the closest thing she had to family away from her. But there was nothing she could do. And she was nothing without Kugelblitz. That was why she had to keep at this.

Besides… after what Kugelblitz had done, the Triad likely hated her. It was a miracle that they hadn't abandoned her completely after she had callously risked their safety for fear of Kugelblitz deeming her too weak and useless to keep using. Just as it was a miracle that Celes actually treated her kindly, after all she had done to the girl. Someone as dirty as her deserved no one.

And yet, she found herself wishing she could have even a moment to mourn before moving on.

Compared to Sardonyx, Celes seemed downright chipper, or as chipper as a girl in a dead world could be. She had recently sewn Vulpecula a red and black star-themed dress and was happily admiring her handiwork, now that she had finished styling her doll's hair.

"Oh, Vulpecula, you look so pretty." Celes said. She cuddled her doll close before glancing towards Sardonyx. "Doesn't she look nice, Lady Sardonyx? I made her new earrings out of-" Celes' words dried up in her throat as she caught sight of Sardonyx. The latter appeared to be on the verge of tears. "Lady Sardonyx?"

Sardonyx had given up on weaving flower chains. "Those three are gone." She sounded more un-Sardonyx-like than ever. "You're never going to see them again."

Celes' eyes widened. "You turned them back into animals?" she asked incredulously. "But why? I thought you liked them, Lady Sardonyx."

For a moment, Sardonyx looked shocked that Celes knew… and then it clicked into place. It seemed Kugelblitz had gone behind her back. Not that it mattered. There was no getting those three back. And this was ultimately Kugelblitz's show. Sardonyx was just helping her run it. She had no right to protest.

Sardonyx's gaze hardened. "No. It's fine." She smiled brokenly. "I have to throw away things I don't need." As she spoke, the flower chain in her hand burst into flames before crumbling away into ash. " _And I don't need them_."

She had told many lies since the day Kugelblitz had taken her on as her medium. But that had to be the biggest one of them all. Sardonyx did need the Void Triad. It was just not in the way that Kugelblitz had needed her to need them.

 _"Do you really think you can do everything on your own?" Kugelblitz had asked her that way back when, back when Sardonyx was little more than the Kingdom of Crystals' unfortunate sole survivor. "Do not be foolish. I only have so much power left to spare, and if something happens to you before I have recovered, I will die. I cannot permit that."_

 _"I don't have a choice!" Sardonyx had protested. "Everyone is gone! You don't have anyone but me, Lady Kugelblitz!"_

 _"Children are such daft creatures." Kugelblitz sniped, right on the heels of something that had closely approximated laughter. "Maybe all the people are gone, but there should be at least a few animals left. Find them. I shall guide you from there."_

 _Sardonyx had been skeptical of this arrangement at best. But she had no choice to obey Kugelblitz. She had no one left but her. And thus, she searched tirelessly until she had found three animals who still showed signs of life, however slight – a rat snake, a peahen, and a rabbit. And then she brought them to her village's meeting hall, under Kugelblitz' instruction._

 _"These are to be your loyal followers." Kugelblitz told her. "You can mold them in the image of your kinsmen, if that pleases you. My power is great enough for that."_

 _Sardonyx had felt her heart leap at the notion. Turning animals into humans sounded strange. Maybe even a bit awkward. But if this meant not being (quite nearly) alone anymore, she would take it._

 _She let Kugelblitz's power work through her and flow into the three unconscious creatures. She watched their forms glow violet before they slowly shifted into the humanoid forms she had envisioned. A brother. Two sisters. Were it not for their unusual pallor, they could have passed easily for her own siblings – a comforting notion to one who had grown up without family._

 _"Agate. Tourmaline. Selenite." Sardonyx smiled warmly as she took in the sight of her creations, naming each in turn. "I can't wait to meet them."_

 _Immediately, she felt the brief sensation of talons lancing into her brain as a sharp chill briefly cut through the air._

 _"You may love them, but only as a master loves her tools." Kugelblitz coolly informed her. "And do not think they are capable of loving you. I am the only one who can do that."_

 _The light in Sardonyx's eyes instantly flickered and died. "Understood, Lady Kugelblitz."_

 _"I would not grow too attached to them either. These tools are on loan. If they stop working, I shall discard them. You have to throw away what you do not need."_

 _"Understood, Lady Kugelblitz." Sardonyx repeated hollowly._

 _She wished she could pretend she didn't. But that was not an option available to her. Not if she wanted Kugelblitz to keep her around. That was the only thing left for her._

Kugelblitz's threat had always loomed in the back of Sardonyx's mind. But even if she followed through on her edicts by always keeping the siblings at arm's length, physically and emotionally, and even if she had made sure that Agate, as the only one who had figured out their true natures, knew there would be consequences for rebellion, she had never seriously thought they would try to leave.

For just a brief moment, she had wanted to grab onto that tiny flicker of hope that the Triad had offered and leave with them, just as she considered it when Delphinus extended to her back then. Small wonder that Kugelblitz had lashed out like she had.

Sardonyx was jolted out of her reverie abruptly as Celes sat down next to her, Vulpecula seated in her lap.

"You don't have to lie to me, Lady Sardonyx. I don't like those three, but you obviously did. You trashed a garden over them." Celes' eyes widened as something fell into place for her. "They were like your family, weren't they?"

"Yes. I thought of them as my siblings, in a way." Sardonyx wasn't supposed to say that, but what could Kugelblitz do? Take them away from her more? "But it doesn't matter. They're gone."

 _And you have to create a new one, you thick-headed girl._

"And I have to create a new one. Understood."

Celes looked momentarily confused by Sardonyx answering herself before she remembered the unseen third presence among them.

"You can give me power, right?" Celes asked. "You already used some of it to keep me here, right? If I have a bit more, then…"

Sardonyx narrowed her eyes. "No. Out of the question." Kugelblitz wouldn't allow it anyway. "Which means I have nothing to…"

Her words trailed off into silence as something caught her eye. Something was shining within Vulpecula. Something like a Roaring Spark. Compared to the Roaring Spark of a human or even an animal, it was downright infinitesimal. But perhaps with this amount of power, she could make something of this tiny spark of life. Even if it meant using an inanimate object.

True, Sardonyx did not have the right to be happiness. But Celes did. Creating the Triad had given Sardonyx the slightest taste of what it was like to have a family. And maybe this next attempt at creating a follower could bring a bit of comfort to Celes in turn. She did seem to have a great deal of love for her doll. That was likely why said doll held even the tiniest spark of life in the first place.

Sardonyx smiled at Celes. This time, it was entirely genuine. "Celes, may I see Vulpecula for a moment? I would like to do something nice for you."

* * *

The rain gradually began to let up as the Illuster refugees and the Hoshikawa siblings progressed on their search for Irene and Yuu. The gray and gloomy sky was slowly returning to its usual calming blue, bits of sunlight were beginning to peek through the clouds, and the wind had gone from unpleasantly harsh to pleasingly gentle.

It was cold comfort for Nanami. She could not find it in herself to enjoy the beauty slowly reemerging around her, not knowing that her friends and their brother would likely never enjoy such things again. Not when there was nothing she and Kohaku could do to save the siblings, barring a sudden miracle.

Worse, the group had been unable to find Irene or Yuu. Hisao and Sirius confirmed that she was not at Rainbow Connections – she had been at some point, but then Yuu had shown up, and the two had taken off together. That had been all the help Chiasa could give them. Irene had been cagey about where that 'somewhere' was even before she had left with Yuu.

Yuzuki and Robin provided support from afar. Neither Nanami nor Kohaku had asked them to. In fact, Nanami would prefer that Robin not be involved. As a big sister herself, she did not want to cause her upperclassman needless stress. But both had been insistent on helping by combing Irene's favorite places in downtown Seizato. Neither had any luck.

Nanami, Kohaku, and Tsukiko went through the shopping district with a fine-toothed comb, tailed by the rabbits Tsukiko attracted. They could not find Irene or Yuu, and no one they spoke to had seen either girl. Looking for where birds were gathering had not helped either. They were out in full force everyone the trio looked, as if Yuu's agitation was just that strong.

When the five finally regrouped in uptown Seizato, the group was struggling to hold onto even the tiniest shred of optimism. Not even the rainstorm finally coming to an end could help. Not when the clock was steadily ticking for the Hoshikawa siblings. Not when the ending to this adventure was guaranteed to be bittersweet at best.

"Sorry, no luck on my end." Hisao sighed. He had draped one of the handful of snakes tailing him over his shoulders. It looked every bit as dispirited as he did.

Tsukiko looked as if she was on the edge of breaking down again. "Yuu hasn't acted yet, but…"

Nanami nodded solemnly. "We cannot afford to be complacent. But where else can we look? Yuzuki and Robin had no luck, and Kohaku and I couldn't find her either."

"I don't know anymore." Kohaku sighed heavily, throwing up her hands in exasperation. "Where are you, Irene?"

The moment Kohaku spoke, a passing-by delivery biked abruptly stopped, and the woman riding it glanced towards her quizzically.

"Hm? Are you friends of Asahina-chan?" she asked.

"That's right!" Nanami said. "We're trying to find her – have you seen her anywhere!"

"I have, actually!" the delivery woman said. "She and an older girl were headed towards the vacant lot a few blocks away from here." As she spoke, she gestured in the direction of the place in question. "I told them it wasn't a playground, but they didn't listen. Maybe you four will have better luck."

That said, the delivery woman took off, leaving Pretty Cure and their allies to nod resolutely before taking off towards what would, hopefully, be their ultimate destination. Nanami and Kohaku took point once more, while Hisao, who was leaning heavily on his sister for support, Tsukiko, and Sirius brought up the rear.

 _Please, wait for us, Irene!_ Nanami thought as everyone charged forwards. _We'll make sure to save you!_

* * *

Yuu had no idea where she and Irene were headed for most of their journey. Irene had been deliberately cagey, saying as little as humanly possible, outside of occasionally marveling at the numerous birds flocking around the pair or nudging Yuu in the right direction. The whole trip was a blur for Yuu. All she could focus on was the final cruelty she would soon visit Irene and how increasingly detached she felt from her human form. Everything else was secondary.

Finally, the pair arrived at their destination – an abandoned lot in uptown Seizato. A passing-by delivery woman had tried to warn Yuu and Irene away from the place. Yuu could sort of see why, she mused as she squeezed through a gap in the fence surrounding the lot after Irene. The place had been left to go to seed long ago. At this point, it was an unsightly jungle comprised of haphazardly stacked tires, piles of concrete blocks, a generous amount of garbage, and a variety of weeds sprouting out of ill-kept earth.

And yet, Yuu recognized beauty in this place as well. The glass bottles lying about caught the gradually-emerging rays of sunlight like beautiful gems, water pooled neatly in areas around the lot, creating lovely little ponds, and raindrops glistened off numerous surfaces in the lot like tiny diamonds. Even the way the plants grew so tenaciously despite the neglected state of this area was somehow inspiring.

Irene took a moment to poke around the area before she stepped back and smiled proudly, as if she were a queen overlooking her domain and not a sixth grader standing in an abandoned lot.

"It's so pretty, isn't it, Yuu?"

Yuu did think it was pretty. And she found it lovely, how Irene could find beauty even in something most humans would consider ugly and worthless. It was almost inspiring.

She tightened a fist and narrowed her eyes. Regardless of how she felt, those matters were _irrelevant_. All that mattered was her and her siblings' survival.

Yuu's eyes became glassy and inhuman-looking and her fist began to glow with blue light as she advanced towards Irene. The young girl was crouched down with her back turned to Yuu, too busy searching for something to notice her approach. Good. That would make things easier. She could take Irene's Roaring Spark before Irene even realized what was happening.

Yuu steeled herself inwardly and mentally fired off one last apology. And then she focused on Irene's Roaring Spark, preparing to rip it out-

-right as the sound of a tiny mew reached her ears.

A tiny black and white kitten was mewing insistently up at Yuu. Her eyes instantly lost their inhuman quality, and her fist ceased glowing and fell limply to her side. As Yuu sank down numbly onto the ground, several more kittens and a few adult cats emerged from their hiding spots around the abandoned lot, apparently emboldened by the rainstorm coming to an end.

Irene squealed in delight at the sight. She reached into one of her cargo shorts pockets and withdrew a handful of treats, which she scattered on the ground. Many of the cats hurried to eat. Others nosed curiously at Irene and Yuu. Still more cast appraising looks at the immense number of birds that were perched atop the fence around the lot.

"See? This place looks ugly, but it's full of beauty." Irene flashed Yuu a beaming smile. "I'm so glad I could share it with you."

Yuu almost wanted to snap at Irene for saying that. Irene should not have been happy to share anything with Yuu, not when she had such cruel plans for her. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't bring herself to do anything but stare numbly at the young girl, even a kitten crawled into her lap.

"Let's come here as much as we can." Irene said as she dangled a weed in front of a few of the kittens, who were playfully attacking it. "We can help these guys have a beautiful future."

"A beautiful future…" Yuu replied numbly.

She wanted to scream. Forget about the cats – what about her future? Thoughts of the future had foolishly allowed herself to plan for after her final clash with Pretty Cure floated unbidden into Yuu's head. She thought of places she would never get to see, the peaceful days she would never be able to share with her sister or Pretty Cure, and fun experiences she would never have.

And she thought of the day she had first met Irene. Of all the times they had shared together. Helping out at Rainbow Connections, visiting the zoo together, helping her with the sports festival, playing together on the beach… she had not properly appreciated every moment they spent together, but as they passed her by now, each seemed more beautiful than the last.

In the end, it would all be for nothing, once she returned to being a mere bird. Her future would never come. Her memories would vanish from her mind. And she... she couldn't even… Nanami had hurt so badly over Celes, and Robin... if she dealt with Irene, Robin would...

Yuu shakily rose to her feet and turned away from Irene. A single tear trickled down her nose as she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What right do I have to take someone else's sister away?"

Irene started after Yuu. "Is something wrong?"

Yuu remained frozen for a moment before she suddenly pulled Irene into a tight hug. And then the floodgates on her heart burst. Every last drop of emotion Yuu had bottled up for the entirety of her all too brief existence seemed to spill out at once. She did not just cry, she wailed, each sob shaking her body as she clung to Irene. She no longer cared about fitting her ideal image of a warrior. She was just a broken girl with far too many regrets. A girl who wanted to indulge in her emotions while she was still capable of them.

"I'm so sorry, Irene!" she sobbed. "I'm… I'm so sorry!"

She wanted her sister. And her big brother. She needed to find them before the end. But for now, Yuu just wanted to hold Irene like this.

And then a sudden burst of disdainful laughter cut through the air.

The birds flew off and the cats scattered as Yuu suddenly parted from Irene. Both girls turned towards the source of the noise – an unfamiliar woman, balanced on a tall mountain of tires.

The interloper was tan-skinned and stood only a bit taller than Yuu. She wore a red and black dress with a star-accented bodice and a fluffy two-layered skirt, red tights, and black boots. Her long and straight jet-black hair was ornamented by small red tophat with a black star-shaped pin, and her glassy red eyes were coolly scrutinizing the pair. She was also clearly not human – her ears were pointed and covered in russet fur, and a bushy and black-tipped russet tail swished behind her.

"My, what a heartwarming display!" the stranger chirped as she clapped sarcastically. "Unfortunately, melodrama time is over."

Yuu was hit by a strong surge of déjà vu as she took in the sight of this strange newcomer. For a moment, she could not place why – and then it suddenly hit her.

"Celes' doll?" she asked incredulously.

The newcomer huffed indignantly. "Excuse me? I have a name!" She did an elegant pirouette before touching down in front of the pair. "I am Vulpecula! Lady Celes number-one pal!" She grinned, exposing two prominent canine teeth, as a red and black baton appeared in her hand. She angled it towards Yuu and Irene. "And the one sent by Lady Sardonyx to dispose of unnecessary items!"

Yuu's pupils shrank at Vulpecula's words. She did not have to ask what Vulpecula meant by that.

Yuu stepped in front of Irene and stared down Vulpecula. "Irene, please run." As Irene watched in shock, Yuu shifted to her Void Clan attire in an upward gust of wind. "I'll take care of this."

Irene looked like she wanted to say something… but she was far too panicked to get her voice to work. Instead, she scrambled towards the gap in the fence. Vulpecula easily smacked Tourmaline aside with her baton, leaving the older girl to hit the ground heavily before she focused on Irene. Several ribbons of red starlight leapt from her baton and wrapped around Irene's legs and wrists before instantly solidifying. The young girl tumbled to the ground before struggling to free herself. It was no use. Her limbs were bound fast.

Before Vulpecula could go after Irene, Tourmaline was back on her feet. She leapt in front of Vulpecula before aiming a flurry of wind-powered punches in her direction. Vulpecula casually dodged every last one of them, an infuriatingly cheerful smile on her face all the while.

"Oh? You'd fight to defend her? What an interesting development!" Without warning, she caught Tourmaline's fist in her own. Her hand glowed with red light, creating an explosion of starlight that sent Tourmaline flying backwards and into another pile of tires. "But I can deal with unnecessary items later! Before that, I have to take care of what you couldn't!"

Tourmaline was not going to be deterred. She gritted her teeth in pain as she struggled to her feet and summoned her crossbow, firing a hail of wind arrows at Vulpecula. Her opponent simply smirked, using her baton to create a shield of starlight before summoning several more starlight ribbons. One lashed towards Tourmaline's crossbow and smacked it out of her hand. Tourmaline rushed towards Vulpecula, dodging and weaving about the ribbons she had summoned as she drew closer and closer to her opponent.

Vulpecula created several more starlight ribbons mere seconds before Tourmaline could close the gap between them. Before Tourmaline could react properly, she found herself entangled, leaving her helpless to advance farther. Vulpecula did not just settle for entangling Tourmaline. She used the ribbons to slam her now-helpless opponent against the nearest fence before they solidified, binding Tourmaline against the fence and giving her a clear view of Irene, who was paralyzed with fear.

"So, this is the power of the Void Triad, Lady Sardonyx's top enforcers." Vulpecula sniffed. "No wonder they're considered unnecessary items."

"Damn it!" Tourmaline futilely struggled against her bonds as Vulpecula moved to go after Irene. "Leave her alone!"

Vulpecula froze in her tracks and glared at Tourmaline in annoyance. "My, so bossy." She shrugged before angling her baton at Tourmaline, a predatory grin playing on her features. "I guess it couldn't hurt to dispose of you now. You're giving me a headache anyway."

Vulpecula fired a high-intensity blast of energy in Tourmaline's direction. Tourmaline had a split-second to try and free herself before realizing that escape was impossible. All she could do was close her eyes, internally apologize for dying before her siblings and for failing Irene, and brace for the inevitable impact.

The impact never came.

Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo stood in front of her, holding off Vulpecula's attack with their combined shield. The two Cures cried in exertion as their shield glowed, dissipating the attack as it shattered.

"I don't care who you are!" Delphinus said as she summoned the Blossom Flute. "I will not let you hurt my friends!"

"Leave Tourmaline alone." Leo said as she summoned the Tempest Guitar. "We'll take you on!"

A silver laser fired towards Tourmaline's bonds, slicing through them cleanly. Selenite hurried to her badly shaken twin's side, steadying her before she could hit the ground. Before she could say anything, Tourmaline suddenly pulled her sister into a tight hug.

"Selenite!" she whispered. "Thank god…"

Selenite leaned into her sister's embrace. "I was so scared I'd never see you again." She smiled tearfully as she parted from her sister. "It looks like we found you just in time."

As the twins shared their reunion, Agate and Sirius busied themselves with freeing Irene. The girl was in no condition to respond as Agate helped her to her feet. But she was at least safe.

Vulpecula took in the sight of Pretty Cure and the Void Triad. For a moment, her mouth worked in shock and confusion… and then she burst into hysterical laughter.

"Oh my… oh my, my, my! You three are really going to turn against me, knowing what that means for you? And you three want to help them? This will not do!"

That was Pretty Cure and the twins' cue to strike. Delphinus fired a blast of water from the Blossom Scepter as Leo leapt towards Vulpecula, Tempest Saber at the ready. Tourmaline summoned her crossbow before striking again, while Selenite swung at Vulpecula with her mallet.

They might as well have not even tried. Vulpecula easily smacked Leo and Selenite aside with two starlight-charged blows before sending Delphinus and Tourmaline flying with blasts of starlight. Before any of the four could go after her, she disappeared in a burst of red stars before appearing in front of Irene. Agate attempted to fend her off with his whip, as Sirius leapt at her, teeth bared. She smacked them aside with another blast of starlight without batting an eye.

"Did you know your precious Yuu meant to hurt you?" Vulpecula asked Irene. "She's wanted to do that for a while now!"

"Stop it!" Tourmaline cried as she fought to struggle to her feet.

Vulpecula was unmoved. "From the beginning, you were nothing more than Yuu… no, _Tourmaline's_ mark. She pretended to be your friend, just so she could get access to that beautiful Roaring Spark of yours!" Her glassy eyes shined as the color drained for Irene's face, and the young girl pressed her back against the fence. "Poor Irene. Guess nobody loves you after all."

Irene pressed further back against the fence. She was beginning to hyperventilate.

"Oh, but don't worry!" Vulpecula said. A ball of red light appeared in her hand. "You can at least be useful in the end!"

Pretty Cure and the twins were on their feet immediately. Delphinus knocked Vulpecula aside with a high-pressure blast of water, knocking the ball of red light out of her hands. Before Vulpecula could recover, Leo was ready to meet her with an electricity-charged punch, sending her flying towards Tourmaline and Selenite, who hit her with a combined blast of wind and light energy the second she was within range. As Vulpecula slammed into the ground, Irene suddenly snapped to attention and tried to flee.

She never made it.

Even as Pretty Cure and the twins fought off Vulpecula, the energy ball Vulpecula had created ricocheted around the lot, bouncing off of various surfaces before it finally found its place in Irene's back. As the Cures and their allies watched in horror, the sphere passed through Irene's chest. Irene's Roaring Spark came out with it, leaving her to collapse dead-eyed onto the ground.

For a moment, Irene's Roaring Spark hovered above her, shining with a radiance so intense that it was impossible for anyone to look directly at. And then it blackened like so many others before sinking into Irene's chest.

Irene was swept up into a sphere of dark violet energy, which pulsed and crackled more intensely than any one before. The color drained from the sky, and the electricity in the surrounding area began to fail as the surrounding temperature dropped.

"You know…" Vulpecula said as she struggled to her feet. "I have a better idea! _She'll_ dispose of you unnecessary items! It's only fair!"

And then Vulpecula vanished in a burst of red stars, leaving Pretty Cure, Sirius, and the Void Triad to hurry after the sphere of darkness, which was now hovering high above uptown Seizato. As everyone present watched, the sphere suddenly burst, releasing an immense, monstrous-looking bird Utsuroid. It sported a rusty, ill-locked cage with a morass of darkness lurking within where its chest should have been. A red star-shaped gem adorned its forehead, and it regarded its opponents with empty gold eyes.

"Irene…" Tourmaline sobbed as she collapsed to the ground. "No…"

Agate and Selenite flew to Tourmaline's side. As Selenite moved to comfort her twin, Agate stared up apprehensively at the Utsuroid. Nothing he had ever created was remotely in this thing's league. Even from here, he could feel incredible amounts of power and malice radiating from it.

"What do we do now?" he asked.

Pretty Cure's answer was clear. Even now, they stared down Irene's Utsuroid, Melody Arms at the ready.

"It's obvious." Leo was trembling a little, but even then, she held her ground alongside Delphinus. "We fight until she's freed."

"It doesn't matter how powerful the Utsuroid is." Delphinus said. She sounded both shaken and resolute. "As long as we have each other and our precious friends, we cannot lose!"

The Utsuroid prepared to strike. Pretty Cure prepared to meet it.

"Irene!" they chorused. "For your sake, we will not give up!"


	18. Episode Eighteen

**Episode Eighteen** : Believe in the Power of Love! Six Soldiers in a Pinch!

* * *

Cure Delphinus and Cure Leo readied themselves as they faced down Irene's Utsuroid. Its mere presence made the air around it crackle with energy. The sky in the area was growing darker by the moment, and electricity in the surrounding area was flickering violently. Every human present collapsed near-instantly, immense quantities of negative energy pouring off of them in waves. Even the animals the Triad were attracting quickly succumbed to the Utsuroid's influence.

This was not going to be an easy opponent to face. But both Cures stood by what they had said – no matter how powerful Irene's Utsuroid was, they would not falter until she was restored to normal.

As the Utsuroid swooped down towards Pretty Cure, talons extended. Delphinus and Leo nodded to one another before dashing to meet it. The two Cures shared a quick glance before leaping in opposite directions. Delphinus used her Blossom Scepter to drive the Utsuroid backwards with a volley of water blasts. As it prepared to retaliate against her, Leo moved in and hit it with an electricity-charged slash from the Tempest Saber.

The Utsuroid barely seemed deterred. It immediately countered Leo's attack with a sharp blow from its wing, knocking her back towards Delphinus. As the two Cures smacked into one another, the Utsuroid spread its wings and fired a hail of darkness-based feathers at them. The two narrowly managed to engage their shield and deflect the blows, moments before the Utsuroid dive bombed them, blasting the pair a fair distance down the street. As it sent its opponents flying, the Utsuoid gave a scream of fury.

No, it was not screaming, both Cures quickly realized. The Utsuroid was crying out in agony. Just existing was causing it... was causing Irene terrible pain.

That realization was enough to get Pretty Cure back on their feet and rushing towards the Utsuroid at top speed. Delphinus stayed at a distance, blasting the Utsuroid with a hail of water projectiles, while Leo got up close, pelting the Utsuroid with a rapid-fire flurry of electric punches and kicks. Despite the ferocity the two Cures fought with, the Utsuroid barely seemed to falter. It just kept going, fighting off its two attackers with the raw fury of a cornered wild animal.

As Pretty Cure continued to struggle against the Utsuroid, the Void Triad and Sirius looked on. Tourmaline was too numb with shock to do much after what had happened to Irene. Just getting back on her feet had taken a great deal of effort. And neither Agate nor Selenite was going to leave their sister's side. But it was no good, standing on the sidelines like this. This was their mess in the end. And they had nothing to lose by aiding Pretty Cure. Not anymore.

"I thought this is what I wanted." Tourmaline said bitterly. "An Utsuroid to surpass all others. Something Pretty Cure could never defeat." She tightened a fist as she stared down at the ground. "I was such a fool."

Selenite gave her sister's hand a gentle squeeze. "Sardonyx was all we had before this. You didn't know. None of us did."

Agate seemed more concerned with the battle unfolding before him. "There's no way those two can win against her on their own." Indeed, Pretty Cure was rapidly losing ground against Irene's Utsuroid. It was only a matter of time before it took them down. "Things are looking grim for those two. And yet, they're still going."

"That's just how Lady Nanami and Kohaku are." Sirius' usual cheery demeanor was completely gone. "Those two have gotten this far because they refuse to give up. And they refuse to give up because so much is relying on them. But against this kind of opponent… I do fear they won't be enough."

That was right. Pretty Cure would not be enough on their own. Moments after Sirius spoke, the Utsuroid blasted Delphinus and Leo out of the air with a high-pressure burst of wind from its wings. The blow came far too quickly for either Cure to engage their shields. As they slammed into the ground, the Utsuroid opened its beak, and a laser began to charge with it. There was no way that the Cures, who had just struggled to their feet, would evade it in time.

Tourmaline and Selenite immediately snapped to attention. Both twins dashed towards Pretty Cure at top speed. Selenite grabbed Delphinus and Tourmaline grabbed Leo before the sisters leapt in opposite directions, out of the way of a massive last blast from the Utsuroid's beak, leaving the attack to tear an immense gouge in the pavement where Pretty Cure had stood just moments before.

"Delphinus, are you alright?" Selenite asked.

Tourmaline gazed worriedly at Leo. "Please don't force yourself."

"I think I'm okay." Delphinus said. She was gazing worriedly past the twins and at Irene's Utsuroid. "But Irene... we need to hurry!"

Indeed, Irene's Utsuroid was getting away. Now that its opponents had been felled for now, it was traveling further into uptown Seizato, leaving quickly-strangled screams of panic in its wake. As it advanced, the color drained from the area around it, and the surrounding electricity flickered and died.

"That girl..." Tourmaline said as she helped Leo up. "She has a Roaring Spark far brighter than normal. I originally befriended her to gain access to it."

"The brighter the Roaring Spark, the more powerful the Utsuroid." Selenite said as she helped Delphinus up. "That's why she's such a strong opponent."

"From the look of it, its summoner was more powerful than the three of us." Agate said. "But that's not stopping you two, right?"

"Obviously not." Leo said before nodding to her Pretty Cure partner. "Let's go, Delphinus!"

Delphinus needed no further prompting. "Okay, Leo!"

Pretty Cure hit the ground running as they chased after Irene's Utsuroid. The Void Triad easily kept pace with them, as did Sirius, who had shifted into their large dog form.

"You said it yourself." said Delphinus as she and the others dodged and wove around myriad obstacles and fallen forms. "If we cannot purify Irene in time, she and all of Seizzato will be in danger. For everyone's sake... we cannot give up!"

"If you regret your actions, if you really do love this world, then please help us." Leo said. The group was fast approaching her destination. Leo felt her body alighting with nervous energy. Still, she pressed on. "On our own, we might not be enough. But, if we combine our hearts-!"

Everyone arrived to find the center of uptown Seizato littered with unconscious bodies. The sky was nearly pitch black, and the malevolent energy in the air was stronger than ever. Irene's Utsuroid was screaming in pain as it tore chunks out of trees with its beak, ripped deep gouges in the ground with its talons, and battered nearby buildings with bursts of wind from its wings. Once it sensed Pretty Cure's approach, it ceased its destructive rampage and paused to regard them, its empty gold eyes shining with malice.

Pretty Cure and the Void Triad immediately assumed a fighting stance. Even Sirius' hackles were raised.

"That's right." Tourmaline said. "The two of you can't save Irene. But the six of us can!"

Selenite nodded. "If protecting this town is our final act, so be it. I cannot think of anything more wonderful."

Delphinus smiled warmly at the siblings. "Everyone… thank you so much! Let's give this our all!"

Leo took Delphinus by the hand. "This will be our hardest battle yet. But…" She grinned at her partner. "I can face any foe with you by my side."

And with that said, the Illuster refugees and the Void Triad ran to meet Irene's Utsuroid. Now began the battle for Seizato's future. It was now or never!

* * *

Sardonyx was sitting dead-eyed and blank-faced in her throne when Vulpecula returned to the audience chamber. Celes was waiting nearby. For a moment, Celes stared wide-eyed at Vulpecula in the wake of her return, her mouth working silently. And then Celes hesitantly approached Vulpecula before haltingly taking her hand, as if she feared the latter might dissolve the moment she touched her. Once she verified that Vulpecula was standing before her, real and solid and very much alive, her eyes lit up.

"It _is_ you." Celes said incredulously. "You're real." She burst into tears of joy as she threw herself into Vulpecula's arms. "You're really real!"

Vulpecula broke into a bright smile as she picked Celes up and spun her around. Both laughed joyously the whole way. Once Vulpecula set Celes back down, she gave the young princess another hug, just for good measure.

"I'm so glad I get to hug you like this." Vulpecula sounded nothing short of warm and affectionate, a far cry from how she had been on the field. "I love you so much, Celes."

Celes snuggled into Vulpecula's embrace. "I never thought you'd say that back." Her eyes flitted towards Sardonyx. "Thank you so much, Lady Sardonyx! You're the best!"

For a moment, Sardonyx looked genuinely touched by how happy Celes was. But then her gaze hardened as Celes and Vulpecula parted from their embrace.

"Vulpecula." she said sternly. "Who gave you permission to leave the field?"

Vulpecula crossed her arms defiantly. "I already made an Utsuroid from that girl!" she huffed petulantly. "Why would I bother with all those people when she can! Let her take out your garbage!"

Celes clung to Vulpecula's side. "Vulpecula is my friend! She's supposed to be with me!" she protested. "Please don't make her go out!"

Sardonyx shook her head sadly. "Celes, I'm sorry, but I cannot permit that. She isn't just your doll anymore." Then, to Vulpecula "It's like I explained earlier. You don't exist just to create Utsuroids. You're also meant to collect negative energy." As Sardonyx spoke, she silently indicated the gem on Vulpecula's hand. "Without that negative energy, we can never realize my ideal world. And that Utsuroid must be a wellspring of it. Don't you dare waste this opportunity."

Vulpecula sighed heavily. "Alright, alright. I'll get to it." She patted Celes affectionately on the shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Celes. I promise to return as soon as I can! Then we can play all sorts of fun things together!" Then, to Sardonyx "I can just watch, right? That thing looked so powerful, and Pretty Cure and your refuse teamed up against me last time. Celes will be so sad if I get hurt."

Sardonyx looked momentarily rattled at the mention of Pretty Cure and the Void Triad teaming up. She quickly shook it off.

"As long as you're harvesting the negative energy, I don't care what you do. Go to it, Vulpecula."

Vulpecula nodded dutifully before vanishing in a burst of red stars. Once she was gone, Sardonyx slowly let out a heavy sigh as she slouched forwards in her throne and balanced her chin in her hands.

Celes hurried to Sardonyx's side. "Lady Sardonyx? Are you alright?"

"My Void Triad is still alive." Sardonyx was staring past Celes as she spoke. "And they've teamed up with Pretty Cure. Is that really how they're spending their last moments?"

Those three really did hate her, if they had thrown in their lot with Pretty Cure. Or maybe they just valued the attachments they had made in that world more than they did Sardonyx. Not that she had a right to condemn either. Their love for her had been a mere part of their programming. But their hatred for her had been something she had earned. She had no right to feel sad over it.

"I thought you stopped caring about them!" Celes said. "Who cares what they're doing, Lady Sardonyx! They'll be gone soon! And you have me! And Vulpecula! Isn't that enough?"

Sardonyx nodded stiffly. "Of course. It's more than enough." Her voice sounded almost robotic. "It does not matter what they do in the end. Either way, those three will disappear. Just like all emotions, dreams, and willpower shall. We don't need such things. And I certainly don't need them."

Celes could not buy Sardonyx's reassurances in the slightest. The Void Clan leader was too obviously troubled by her underlings' eventual deaths. And why not? She considered them her siblings, didn't she? Even now, Celes could not live with herself if her own sister died. Why would Sardonyx be different.

But there was no arguing with Sardonyx. And there was definitely no arguing with Kugelblitz, whose presence could be keenly felt even now, both through the heavy atmosphere in the audience chamber and Sardonyx's shadow, which hungrily regarded Celes. All the young princess could do was smile, nod, and send out a mental prayer to Vulpecula for her safety.

* * *

The Illuster refugees and the Void Triad ran to meet Irene's Utsuroid. It gave a scream of agony and fired a hail of darkness-based feathers at the six warriors. They dodged and wove out of the way, leaving the feathers to batter against the surroundings, leaving terrible scorch marks in their wake. The Utsuroid immediately swerved around before diving towards the group, talons extended. Its opponents scattered every which way, leaving its talons to grasp empty air.

The Utsuroid made a throaty noise of anguish as it hovered in mid-air, looking for its quarry with keen gold eyes. And then Sirius hurtled towards one of its wings like a bolt from the blue. The Utsuroid was too caught off guard to react, leaving Sirius free to sink their teeth into its wing as deeply as it could. The Utsuroid emitted an eardrum-piercing screech as it fought to shake Sirius off and maintain its altitude. It was too busy doing this to notice the pink and orange meteor rushing towards it.

"Pretty Cure Hurricane Kick!"

Delphinus and Leo's combined attack slammed into the Utsuroid from behind. It connected in an explosion of multicolored light, sending it plunging out of the sky. Sirius let go of its wing the moment this happened. They shifted into their smaller dog form as they plunged downwards, allowing Agate to easily catch them in his arms.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Sirius grinned, as much as a dog could. "I've had worse." they said nonchalantly.

The Utsuroid struggled to regain its altitude. Tourmaline and Selenite would not allow it the opportunity. The twins gave a cry of fury as they linked their hands, gradually forming an immense ball of wind and light energy between their free hands. The moment the Utsuroid realized what the sisters were about to do, it moved to dive bomb the pair. And then Pretty Cure came hurtling towards it.

As Delphinus launched herself towards the Utsuroid, she fired a barrage of high-pressure water projectiles from the Blossom Scepter. The projectiles battered its form from every direction, leaving it too stunned to do anything about Leo as she launched herself towards the Utsuroid, Tempest Saber at the ready. Leo aimed a leaping, electricity-charged slash at the gem on the Utsuroid's forehead.

The impact of Leo's attack only created a slight crack on the Utsuroid's gem, but that was still enough to send the Utsuroid reeling backwards and towards Tourmaline and Selenite. The moment the Utsuroid was in range, the sisters sent their combined attack towards it. It gave a loud scream as the attack connected in a burst of golden light.

The Utsuroid plunged towards the ground, now too weakened to stay airborne. Agate stood ready to meet it. As it descended from the sky, he began to form a sphere of earth energy in his hand. The moment it hit the ground, he flung the sphere downwards. The resulting shockwave rushed towards the Utsuroid, which was far too injured to evade it. It emitted one last strangled-sounding cry as the attack connected before it collapsed prone onto the ground.

The six warriors regrouped and readied themselves for the finishing blow.

"I hate hearing the sound it makes." Tourmaline said, even as she prepared to attack once more. "Irene must be in so much pain…"

Selenite smiled reassuringly at her sister "This is almost over, Yuu. We'll make it better for her."

And then the Utsuroid suddenly got its second wind. It bolted forwards towards its opponents with wings extended outwards, catching its opponents across the chests. The Illuster refugees and the Void Triad were shoved backwards some distance through uptown Seizato, before the Utsuroid took to the sky and sent a powerful burst of wind in their direction. The six were sent flying even further backwards, leaving a distant explosion of debris in their wake.

The Utsuroid gave a triumphant cry of victory… only for Pretty Cure to come zipping towards it. It narrowed its eyes before opening its beak and firing a hail of dark lasers at the duo. Delphinus and Leo were forced to engage their shields as the Utsuroid swooped in for the kill…

…only for the twins to suddenly appear behind it. Tourmaline battered the Utsuroid with a barrage of wind-based arrows from her crossbow before Selenite followed it up with a light-charged blow from her mallet, knocking the Utsuroid towards Pretty Cure.

Delphinus and Leo immediately began battering the Utsuroid with rapid-fire water and electricity-charged punches and kicks. Tourmaline and Selenite quickly moved to join Pretty Cure, pelting it with a hail of wind and light-charged blows. The Utsuroid was being battered from all sides, leaving it unable to retaliate against its opponents.

That was Agate and Sirius' cue to act. Agate leapt upwards, snagging one of the Utsuroid's legs with his whip, while Sirius dashed forwards and slammed into it with full force. It was left stunned enough for all four girls to nail it with an elementally-charged punch at once. There was an explosion of multicolored light, and the Utsuroid was slammed into the ground, hard enough to leave a small crater in its wake.

Pretty Cure and the twins touched down in front of the fallen Utsuroid.

"Now, Pretty Cure!" the twins chorused.

Delphinus and Leo needed no further instruction. The two nodded towards one another before transforming their Melody Arms into their instrument modes.

"Let our radiantly roaring hearts create a beautiful harmony!" the two Cures cried out in unison.

"Oh water, play a cascading melody!" Delphinus cried.

"Oh lightning, dance to a sparkling rhythm!" Leo cried.

"Sing out together, oh powers of Pretty Cure!" Delphinus and Leo chorused. "Pretty Cure Roaring Concerto!"

Pretty Cure's finisher rushed towards the Utsuroid and engulfed it in a massive rainbow-colored explosion of light. For a moment, the Cures and their allies felt their hearts surge with triumph in the wake of their finishing blow. And then the light faded, and the dust kicked up by their attack cleared, and Delphinus' eyes widened in horror.

"No…" she whispered.

The Utsuroid was still intact. Worse, the birdcage that served as its torso now held something within it – a blindingly brilliant sphere of rainbow light that Delphinus and Leo recognized as the energy from Pretty Cure Roaring Concerto. The door on the cage flew open, sending the energy from the Cures' combined attack blasting towards the group, cutting an immense gouge through the ground.

Pretty Cure had but half a second to engage their combined shield around themselves and their allies before the sheer force of the blast propelled them some distance away. The shield shattered as the six hit the ground. They were left prone and defenseless against the Utsuroid, which promptly gave chase. Its movements were much more unsteady then before, but its spirit had not been daunted any.

The Void Triad was immediately on their feet and in front of Pretty Cure and Sirius. The three siblings gritted their teeth as they extended their hands out in front of them. Their hands glowed with colorful light, forming a barrier of golden light. It was far more fragile-looking than Pretty Cure's combined shield and seemed unlikely to hold up against more than one attack from the Utsuroid, if even that.

As Pretty Cure and Sirius fought to struggle to their feet, they realized that things were only going to get worse.

The people of Seizato had collapsed much more quickly than usual in the wake of the Utsuroid's attack. There had been much more negative energy pouring off of them than before. That had been troubling. But it had not prepared the three for what was now happening before their eyes.

The Roaring Spark of every human in the vicinity was rising from their chest unbidden. As Pretty Cure and Sirius watched in horror, they blackened on their own before sinking back down into their hosts' chest. It was just like… just like back when…

"Just like in Illuster." Leo whispered in horror as she sought out her partner's hand with her own badly-trembling one.

"Why now?" Delphinus whispered, her irises shrinking with distress as visions of Illuster's final days flashed into her mind. "Everyone... everyone is going to... _please, no_!"

* * *

It had been a long time since Tsubasa Aozora had been afraid for her own sake. She had plenty of fear and worry to spare where Pretty Cure was concerned. She constantly had her hackles up at the threat of something happening to her younger sister or one of friends. And she was genuinely dreading the news of Hisao and his sisters' demise. Especially the latter. An adult man knowing he was due to effectively die by sunset was awful enough, but two children? Tsubasa could barely fathom it.

But there was that, and there was being afraid for her own life. Tsubasa had not felt that way since she had been abandoned by her fellow gang members. Not until now. And this time, her mother was not going to swoop in and save her.

There had been many signs of trouble before all of this. The color had begun to drain from the sky, even though the rainstorm outside had ended some time ago, and the temperature had begun to drop. As the tiny handful of customers in Shooting Star had flocked to the windows, the air abuzz with nervous speculation about the weather, the power in the building had suddenly failed. Tsubasa, who had been in the middle of making another latte for Megumi barely stopped herself from dropping her mug.

"Oh boy." Tsubasa groused. "Sorry, Meg, you might have to wait a second for…" Her voice died in her throat as she got a better look at her sister. "Meg?"

Megumi was staring out into space as she sat at the counter. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused, and her breathing was beginning to grow labored.

The mug fell from Tsubasa's hands and shattered on the ground. She hardly seemed to notice as she sprinted to her sister's side. When Megumi suddenly swooned and fell sideways, Tsubasa caught her in her arms. Despite her attempts to keep a strong face, she was trembling all over.

"Please hold on, Meg!"

Megumi looked up at Tsubasa, as best as she could in her dazed state. "My heart. It hurts." she whispered. "Help..."

Most everyone else present in Shooting Star suddenly collapsed to the ground as dark violet energy began to pour off them in waves. It seemed that Megumi would share their fate soon enough. The younger Aozora sister was fighting to hold on, but her eyelids were growing heavy, and her breathing was becoming more labored by the moment.

"Meg!" Tsubasa cried.

For a moment, Megumi's lips struggled to form words. But then she fell unconscious, leaving Tsubasa alone. And that was when the cold chill of fear gripped the café owner. For once, she found herself faced with something that neither she nor their charges could punch their way out of. She didn't know what to do, past sitting here and quietly panicking.

Tsubasa was going to succumb as well. She understood that. Even now, she could feel her body growing colder and more leaden by the moment. She could sense her will to do anything ebbing away. And she could feel something tearing at her heart from within.

As Tsubasa watched helplessly, the Roaring Sparks of Megumi and the other customers were ripped forth from their chests before blackening and sinking back into them. She remembered the story that Pretty Cure and Sirius had imparted to her on their first evening in Seizato. Was this how it went? Was she going to…?

Tsubasa's eyes widened in pain, and her hand flew to her heart as she felt the sensation of something being ripped out. It was just like before. Back in the shopping district. But this time, the process was agonizingly slow. This time, all Tsubasa could feel was a numb sense of fear. And this time, she could not be certain that anyone would save her.

"Nanami… Kohaku…" A tear trickled down Tsubasa's nose as she gritted her teeth, feeling herself on the edge of succumbing. "I'm so sorry…"

And then one more Roaring Spark was ripped forth from its host.

* * *

The tide was rapidly turning against Pretty Cure and their allies.

Irene's Utsuroid was not deterred by the Void Triad's shield in the slightest. It stared appraisingly at it for a moment before it narrowed its eyes and dive bombed towards it. The shield shattered into tiny pieces on impact, sending the siblings reeling backwards.

Pretty Cure and Sirius immediately sprang to their feet. Delphinus grabbed Selenite, Leo grabbed Tourmaline, and Sirius shifted into human form before grabbing Agate. The Illuster refugees leapt backwards, pulling the siblings out of the way of another hail of darkness-based feathers.

The six took a moment to reorient themselves, standing back-to-back as they scoped out the situation. And then they were met with another horrifying sight.

Seizato's citizens were turning into Utsuroids.

Every person in the area was swept up into a sphere of dark violet energy before a formless black mass with empty gold eyes and a red star marking sprang up in their place. Worse, more Utsuroids were fast joining the ranks of those around the group. Soon, there was not a recognizably human form in sight, and the six were being surrounded by a rapidly-growing sea of black.

The sea of Utsuroids advanced towards the Illuster refugees and the Void Triad from all sides. The six were fast being surrounded, keeping them from getting to Irene's Utsuroid, which flew above the battlefield, some distance away from its opponents. Unless they crossed the sea of black surrounding them, they would have no hope of reaching it.

Selenite could feel Delphinus trembling nearby. And no wonder, she mused guiltily as her mind flashed back to that kingdom's final moments. The princess must have been reliving one of the worst days of her life. And Selenite had been so _nonchalant_ about that back then. It had been just a job for her. It had been a waking nightmare for Nanami. How could she have failed to see that?

"Please don't worry, Nanami." Selenite sought out Delphinus' trembling hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It won't be like last time. I promise."

Leo sought out Delphinus' other hand, intertwining her partner's fingers with her own. "We can do something about this." She was trying to sound brave, but her voice was wavering, and she was trembling as well. "We have the power to fight back this time."

Tourmaline took Leo's free hand in her own. "And you have allies to fight alongside you. Between the six of us, anything is possible."

"Everyone… thank you!" Delphinus sounded terribly broken up, but her vivid pink eyes still shined with resolve as she looked to her partner and her allies in turn before nodding resolutely. She broke from the crowd and stepped forwards, readying her Blossom Scepter as she stared out at the seemingly endless sea of black. "Are you ready?"

Leo grinned as she stepped forwards, Tempest Saber at the ready. "Any time you are, Nanami!"

"Don't worry, Irene!" Tourmaline said. "We'll save you and your hometown! I promise!"

Selenite readied her mallet. "This town… this planet… we won't stop fighting until it's safe!"

And with that said, the six warriors assumed a fighting stance before charging towards the crowd of Utsuroids.

Delphinus blasted through wave after wave of Utsuroids with bursts of water from the Blossom Scepter, in between blasting away those that drew too close with Blossom Cascade. Selenite worked to keep Utsuroids at bay with blasts of silver light, in between smacking them away with her mallet. Whenever the pair found themselves surrounded, Selenite slammed her mallet into the ground, stunning the Utsuroids with a shockwave of sparkling silver light before Delphinus readied her Blossom Flute and blasted them away with Blossom Elegy.

Leo zipped about the crowd of Utsuroids, cutting through swathes of them with electricity-charged slashes from Tempest Saber, in between sniping those in range with Tempest Fang. Tourmaline stayed at a distance, pelting Utsuroids with a barrage of wind-based arrows from her crossbow and blasting away any nearby ones with bursts of razor wind. Once enough were in range, Tourmaline summoned a powerful gale, blowing a vast number of Utsuroids up into the air, allowing Leo to ready her Tempest Guitar and take them out with Tempest Rock.

Sirius shifted into their large dog form before performing a foe-tossing charge on the Utsuroids before them. They were left as easy prey for Agate, who stunned them with shockwaves in between throwing about any that drew close enough with his whip. Sirius moved in to attack any Utsuroids Agate stunned. They might not have had Pretty Cure's purification powers, but they did have teeth and claws, and that proved to count for quite a bit.

Pretty Cure and their allies were fighting valiantly. But no matter how many Utsuroids the group felled, more and more sprang up in their place. Their numbers seemed truly endless. Pretty Cure's attacks didn't seem to be doing anything to purify the Utsuroids they took down – they were merely left stunned. And there was no way the six could keep this pace up forever.

To make matters worse, Irene's Utsuroid had turned its attention back towards its opponents.

As the six regrouped, the Utsuroid loomed above them like a shadow of death. It coolly regarded them with empty gold eyes before its beak opened unnaturally wide, and a violet laser began to charge from within, far more intensely than it had before.

The moment Pretty Cure realized what was happening, their forms blazed with pink and orange energy as they engaged their combined shield around everyone. The Void Triad quickly followed suit, forming their own fragile gold barrier around the Cures' pink and orange one. And then an immense violet laser fired forth from the Utsuroid, decimating the surrounding area and blasting the group far into the distance.

* * *

Delphinus felt herself being flung roughly onto what felt like a field of grass for the second time in her life. But this time, she was surrounded not by reassuring warmth but by cold emptiness. The only warm thing she felt was Leo's hand, which tightly grasped her own even now. Her vivid pink eyes slowly flickered open as she took in her surroundings.

She had ended up sprawled on the grassy hillside near Shooting Star, in the exact same spot she had landed in after her flight from Illuster. The realization only made the state of her surroundings more painful. The grass she had landed on was colorless and dead-looking, and there was no wind carrying the scent of the ocean towards her this time. The sky was cold and gray, and the sun no longer radiated light. And although she could see Shooting Star in the distance, it was…

"It's ruined." Delphinus whispered, her eyes welling with tears as she and Leo pulled themselves to a sitting position. "Tsubasa… Aozora-sensei… everyone is…"

Indeed, Shooting Star was a mere husk of what it had once been. The windows were blown out, and even from this distance, it was clear that the inside of the building had been trashed. Delphinus did not need to ask why. Or where Tsubasa, her sister, or the customers they had been seeing to had ended up. For all she knew, they had been among the Utsuroids that they had been fighting off.

The Void Triad and Sirius had landed sprawled near Pretty Cure. All four were as badly battered and beaten as the Cures, and all four looked just as horrified by the state their surroundings had been left in. The siblings' eyes looked deader than normal as they struggled to a sitting position, and Sirius' ears were laid flat against their head.

"Is the whole town going to end up like this?" Leo had given up on all pretensions of stoicism. She was shaking all over as she clung to her partner's side. "This can't be happening…"

Even now, Irene's Utsuroid was rampaging in the distance. Its screams of pain cut through the air with ear-piercing volume as it tore Seizato apart in a blind rage. The streets of the shopping district below them were flooded by a sea of black. Every other road in Seizato was surely in a similar state. There was likely not a single civilian left.

Tourmaline stared in horror at the sight. "At this rate, Irene's heart may never return. And soon, everyone else will…"

Selenite looked away sharply, even as she sought out her sister's hand. "How could we have ever wanted this? How did we ever think that this was okay?"

"The powers of Pretty Cure couldn't do a thing to help those people." Agate muttered. "Is there nothing we can do?"

Sirius' ears suddenly perked up as Agate spoke. "You know, that _was_ strange. As was the fact that I could touch them without being affected, yes, yes. And those red stars…" They were suddenly back on their paws. "Lady Nerissa! You must have considered it, right, right?"

For a moment, Delphinus could not figure out what in the world Sirius was talking about. But then, it suddenly hit her.

"You're right. They clearly weren't anything like the Utsuroids Sardonyx summoned." Delphinus said. "Perhaps we couldn't purify them because they were extensions of their creator? That's a shot in the dark, but…" She looked over at the Triad. "I'm right, aren't I? If we are able to purify Irene, then we can save everyone else, right?"

The three siblings exchanged glances. None of them looked even half as optimistic as Delphinus was clearly trying to be.

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea." Tourmaline said. "Sardonyx only cared about advancing her goals. She would never share information that would work against her."

Selenite nodded sadly. "Maybe you're right, Delphinus. But it's equally likely that everyone is gone."

Delphinus said nothing in response. Instead, she struggled to her feet before helping Leo up.

Agate joined his sisters in staring at Pretty Cure in bafflement. "Princess? What are you…?"

"You're right, Tsukiko. Those people could be gone." Delphinus said as she stared out at the rampaging Utsuroid and the sea of black spreading out in the distance. "But they could be saved." She turned towards the Triad, her eyes shining with resolve. "And if there is even the tiniest sliver of a chance to save everyone, then I'll take it!"

"When you attacked Illuster, we couldn't do anything to stop you." Leo said. "We could only run away as that silence consumed our world. But now we have the powers of Pretty Cure! We can… we have to do something about this before it's too late!"

"We can't let this world become another Illuster!" Delphinus gave Leo's hand a tight squeeze as she spoke. Leo gave one right back. "I would sooner die than let that happen! So, we'll keep fighting!"

"In your condition?" Tourmaline snapped. "Don't be fools!"

"You can't last forever!" Selenite protested. "At this rate, you might die!"

Delphinus nodded. "You're right, of course. But we might live." She caught herself and shook her head. "No… we _will_ live. Because everyone else is counting on us! And because we love this world! There's no way we can give up on it!" She glanced towards her partner. "Let's go, Leo!"

Leo nodded resolutely. "Okay, Delphinus!"

And before the Triad could protest further, Delphinus and Leo leapt into the air and backflipped towards the black sea spreading out below them. Sirius wasted no time in bounding after them. Soon, the sea of black was being parted by explosive bursts of pink and intense flashes of orange… only to swell back up the moment that happened.

Tourmaline shook her head. "To risk everything based on a mere hunch… you two are such fools."

Selenite smiled wryly at her sister's words. Despite their disdainful content, they were spoken with affection.

"We're going to help them, right?" she asked.

Tourmaline nodded without hesitation. "I'm not abandoning my friends. And I won't let this world fall either. Let's go."

And then the sound of arrogant laughter carried towards the siblings' ears. The three wheeled around to find Vulpecula standing behind them, her face twisted into a cruel smirk. The gem on the back of her hand was practically running over with negative energy, and her glassy red eyes radiated raw contempt as she regarded the siblings.

"You're going to keep fighting?" she asked. "Oh my… oh my, my, my! Are you sure you want to do that?"

Tourmaline narrowed her eyes at Vulpecula. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh… you know. Just the matter of your existences and all." Vulpecula replied faux-nonchalantly. "You realize you're burning yourselves out, right? The more you use your powers, the more you fade away! If you keep going, you'll be lucky to last another hour!"

Vulpecula's words made the Triad visibly hesitate. She grinned maliciously before vanishing in a burst of red stars and appearing behind Tourmaline. She draped an arm over the older twin's shoulders as she leaned towards her ear.

"Think about it, Tourmaline." she purred. "If you don't interfere, those two will probably die. Lady Sardonyx would be so grateful! Maybe even grateful enough to give you back your powers! And then you three won't have to vanish! Wouldn't that be great? Your life for Lady Sardonyx's right?"

Tourmaline's form tensed at Vulpecula's words. She missed the way the older twin's eyes momentarily flicked towards her siblings before she spoke.

"It would be that easy, huh? Just wait for them to fall. And then we wouldn't have to disappear. We could be with Lady Sardonyx again."

Vulpecula leaned in further. "That's right. All you have to do is stand back and wait. Just like that. Just. Like. That."

Tourmaline smiled thinly. "When you put it that way, it sounds logical enough."

Vulpecula grinned in triumph. "I just knew you'd see it my-!"

"However, I refuse."

Vulpecula received a sharp elbow to the stomach, followed by a wind-charged high kick that sent her slamming onto the ground before she had time to process it.

"What's wrong with you?!" she snapped as she glared up at the siblings. "Don't you beasts get what I'm offering? Are you that stupid?!"

"You're the idiot." Tourmaline said as she and her siblings coolly glared down at Vulpecula. "Do you think it would please me to live like that? At the heels of a woman who saw us as worthless? Who wants our friends dead?"

"It's true that we want to stay human." she said. "I want to volunteer at the hospital again, so I can heal the hearts of others!"

"I want to improve myself as a cook, so I can make people smile the way Tsubasa does." Agate said.

"And I want to learn how to care for animals, because Irene taught me how precious nature was." Tourmaline said. "We can't do any of that as servants of the Void Clan."

"Especially not if it means sacrificing others!" Selenite said. "We've met so many precious people in this town! We're not going to throw away their futures, just so we can have one!"

"F-fine! Be that way!" Vulpecula spat as she scrabbled to her feet. "Die like the dumb beasts you are!" She grinned predatorily as she showed off the gem on her hand. "It doesn't matter anyway! In the end, I was many times more useful to Lady Sardonyx than you three ever were!"

And then she vanished in a shower of red stars. The Triad hardly seemed to notice.

"If we use up the rest of our power, we'll die shortly." Tourmaline said as she stared out at the battlefield unfolding before her. "We'll be lucky to make past this battle." She was trying to remain emotionless, but she was shaking all over. "But I can live with that. Better to burn out gloriously than fade away pathetically."

Selenite took her twin's hand in her own. "If we can be reborn as humans, I hope you and Hisao can be my family again. I would like nothing more than that."

Agate smiled warmly at the twins. "I would love that as well. We had our rough patches, but I've been so proud to call you my sisters." He nodded resolutely. "Now, everyone! Let's show them what the Void Triad can do!"

"Hisao!" Selenite snapped indignantly.

"Don't say such things!" Tourmaline huffed.

Hisao blinked in confusion as he looked at his sisters. "Yuu? Tsukiko? What do you mean?"

"We're no longer the Void Triad." Tourmaline said. "They don't exist anymore."

Selenite nodded. "That's right. We're going to show everyone what the Hoshikawa siblings can do!"

* * *

Even now, Delphinus and Leo were struggling badly against the herd of Utsuroids that surrounded them. For every ten Utsuroids they took down, it seemed like twenty more sprang up in their place. And since they could only stun said Utsuroids, there was nothing stopping them from recovering and rejoining the fray. At this rate, it seemed like they might never reach Irene's Utsuroid, which was far too busy trashing the shopping district to pay Pretty Cure any mind.

"It doesn't seem like there's any end to this." Delphinus said as she blasted through another wave of Utsuroids with the Blossom Scepter. "But I will not stand down! This world is counting on us!"

"I can keep going, even if it costs all my energy!" Leo said as she slashed through an approaching wave of Utsuroids with the Tempest Saber. "I can do anything if you're by my side!"

Sirius said nothing themselves. They were far too busy tearing through the hordes of Utsuroids around them and evading their counter attacks to the best of their abilities. They did not have Pretty Cure's levels of durability, after all.

Despite the ferocity that the Illuster refugees fought with, things were looking grim for the trio. Pretty Cure was being pushed closer and closer to their limit. Even now, their movements were becoming a bit slower, and their attacks were losing just a bit of their impact. Eventually, their energy levels would bottom out completely, and they would be overwhelmed. And then it would be over.

And then an immense blue gale rushed towards a sizable swathe of the Utsuroids surrounding Pretty Cure, blowing them away into the distance. A shower of blindingly bright silver photons bombarded another swathe, blasting them away. A third swathe was hit by a small localized earthquake, knocking them out instantly.

The injured and drained Cures had a moment to catch their breath before turning towards the source of these attacks – the Hoshikawa siblings. Each of the three was glowing with a soft aura in their respective color, and their very presence made the air crackle with power.

Delphinus' eyes welled with tears of joy at the sight. "Everyone!"

"You came through after all." Leo was no less tearful than Delphinus. "Thank you!"

The siblings returned Pretty Cure's gratitude with kind smiles of their own before their expressions hardened.

"Don't worry about the Utsuroids!" Selenite said. "We'll take care of them!"

Tourmaline nodded. "Just focus on getting to Irene! We believe in you, Pretty Cure!"

Delphinus and Leo shot the Triad one last smile of gratitude before nodding to one another and dashing towards Irene's Utsuroid. For a moment, Sirius looked like they wanted to say something to the Triad, but then Agate ushered them ahead, and they nodded and took off after the Cures.

As Pretty Cure rushed to face down Irene, the siblings fought off the horde of Utsuroids. Wind tore through immense swathes of them, light blasted away more, and still more were knocked flat with the power of earth. As they fought, the three could feel their very beings burning away rapidly. But even then, they did not falter. Pretty Cure – and all of Seizato, if not Earth was counting on them.

Irene's Utsuroid abandoned its trashing of the shopping district once it spotted Sirius rushing towards it. It screamed in agitation and agony as it dove towards the librarian.

That was exactly what Sirius was counting on. The very moment the Utsuroid drew close enough, Leo threw herself towards the door of the cage in its chest. Her form crackled with orange energy as she began to pull at the door. The Utsuroid gave another piercing scream before fighting to throw Leo off. That was Sirius' cue to sink their fangs into one of its legs, giving Leo just enough time to wrench the door clean off its hinges with a loud cry of exertion before touching down onto the ground alongside Sirius.

The moment Leo did this, Delphinus came tearing towards the Utsuroid. She blazed with pink energy as she leapt into the air before diving towards her opponent like a radiant shooting star. Her gaze homed in on the Utsuroid's forehead gem as she drew close, and her eyes sparkled with determination as she focused all her strength into one straight punch.

"I won't let anything happen to this world!"

Delphinus' final blow struck true in a burst of rainbow-colored light. The force of the impact caused the Utsuroid's gem to crack down the middle. It immediately crashed to the ground, too stunned to move. At the same time, the horde of Utsuroids flooding Seizato halted their movements.

Delphinus and Leo immediately transformed their Melody Arms into their instrument modes once more before firing off another Roaring Concerto towards the fallen Utsuroid. The intertwining blast of pink and orange fired towards the Utsuroid… which recovered just enough to open its beak again and fire an immense dark laser towards the pair. Pretty Cure gritted their teeth and dug their feet into the ground as they stood firm, their attack pushing back against the Utsuroid's own assault.

"Our precious friends… our wonderful classmates…" Delphinus said.

"Everyone important to us… in this world and Illuster…" Leo said.

"We're going to see them again!" the Cures chorused.

Pretty Cure cried in exertion as they fed more and more of their energy into their attack. Their arms screamed with pain, and the adrenaline keeping them going was threatening to bottom out completely. But even then, the power of the Utsuroid's laser did not falter. Delphinus and Leo felt themselves being pushed backwards steadily as the destructive violet energy of the Utsuroid's attack steadily gained ground on Pretty Cure Roaring Concerto. And then two pairs of hands reached out to steady them, keeping them from losing any further ground.

The Hoshikawa twins were standing besides Pretty Cure, their eyes shining with determination. Selenite held tightly onto Delphinus' arm with one hand, while Tourmaline held onto Leo. The sisters extended their free hands, which blazed with blue and silver light, towards the Utsuroid. Streams of blue and energy leapt forth from their palms, joining the pink and orange of Pretty Cure's attack.

The Utsuroid continued to resist, even as Pretty Cure and the twins' attack steadily gained ground against it. And that was when Agate and Sirius, the latter now in humanoid form, joined in. The pair reached out to steady the twins' arms before extending their free hands, which glowed with dark orange and white-gold light, towards the Utsuroid. A stream of dark orange energy and a stream of white-gold energy leapt from their palms, joining the other four.

The power of the resulting six-colored laser was truly enormous, tearing immense chunks from the pavement around it as it blazed towards the Utsuroid, which was struggling to stand its ground.

"Oh water, cascade and flow!" Delphinus cried as orbs of shimmering pink water rose upwards around her.

"Oh lightning, sparkle and dance!" Leo cried as sparks of lightning danced about her form.

"Oh wind, howl and rise!" Tourmaline cried as blue feathers swirled around her.

"Oh light, glimmer and shine!" Selenite cried as wisps of sparkling silver light shimmered about her form.

"Our radiantly roaring hearts…" Agate said as bits of soil rose upwards around him.

"…shall become the light that shatters the void!" Sirius said as globules of energy whirled about them.

"Pretty Cure!" cried Delphinus and Leo.

"Roaring Concerto…" cried Tourmaline and Selenite.

"…Full Ensemble!" cried Sirius and Agate.

All six blazed brilliantly in their respective colors as they gave a loud cry, channeling every last drop of power into their final blow. The result was an immense, rainbow-colored laser that was as beautiful to behold as it was destructive. There was no way that Irene's Utsuroid could resist against an attack of such sheer power. It was rapidly overwhelmed as the power of everyone's combined energy rushed towards it.

The resulting impact created a rainbow-colored supernova of energy, which spread out into a rainbow-colored shockwave that spread across all of Seizato. There was a blinding flash of light, and then none of the six warriors knew anything more.

* * *

When Nanami finally came to, she was lying flat on the pavement. For a moment, she wondered if she and the others had been defeated. And then she felt the comforting warmth of sunlight as a gentle ocean breeze ruffled her hair. And when she opened her eyes, she found that the color had returned to the sky above and the trees around her.

Nanami sat up and looked around. She was in Seizato's shopping district. Kohaku was slowly coming to nearby, as was Sirius. There was no trace of damage to the surroundings and no hint of malevolence in the air. Were it not for the many unconscious bodies littering the area, it would be as if the battle had never happened. It was an unsettling sight, and yet Nanami found it heartening all the same. Everyone around her was perfectly unharmed and sleeping peacefully. There would be confusion once they regained consciousness. Maybe even panic. But they were safe.

But what about Irene?

The Illuster refugees snapped to attention the second the question crossed their mind. They spotted the Hoshikawa siblings standing a few feet away. Tourmaline was holding Irene gently in her arms, and Selenite and Agate stood by her side. The three no longer radiated energy. In fact, they looked like they were on the cusp of passing out.

The broken look that Tourmaline shot the Illuster refugees as they scrambled to the siblings side told them everything they needed to know about Irene's current state.

"She doesn't seem to be breathing, and her skin is like ice." Tourmaline said hollowly. "And no matter how hard I try, she won't wake up."

Selenite looked down at the ground. "It seems her Roaring Spark really was suppressed."

Kohaku's irises shrunk with disbelief and her form trembled with anger and grief at the sight. "You're kidding! After all that, we really couldn't save her?"

Nanami gave Kohaku's hand a gentle squeeze. It seemed to calm her partner somewhat. Not that Nanami herself could be calm.

"There has to be something we can do!" she exclaimed. "It can't end like this!"

Tourmaline nodded. "There has to be. The three of us don't have much time left. But Irene…" She stared down at the unmoving form in her arms as her eyes welled with tears. "There was so much you wanted to do, wasn't there? You have a bright and shining future lying ahead of you, Irene! So please… please wake up!"

As Tourmaline spoke, her form briefly glowed with blue light. And then a tear trickled down her nose and fell on Irene's heart. It sparkled a bit on impact.

Nothing happened. Irene remained cold and unmoving.

And then Irene's fingers began to twitch. As Pretty Cure and their allies watched wide-eyed, the color gradually returned to her face as her body grew warm again. She drew a sudden breath, followed by several more, before she returned to breathing gently. She did not stir, but she was clearly sleeping as peacefully as most everyone else in Seizato.

"Thank god…" Tourmaline said tearfully. She handed off the exhausted young girl to Sirius, who gently accepted her into their arms. "Take good care of her, alright?"

Sirius nodded. "Of course, of course! We'll make sure she's safe and taken care of!"

Nanami's eyes welled with tears of joy at the sight. "I'm glad." Her hand remained in Kohaku's own as she smiled gratefully at the siblings. "Thank you so much! Were it not for you three, we wouldn't have been able to restore everyone."

Kohaku flashed the siblings a grateful smile of her own. "You guys really were a huge help. I'll never forget that."

The Hoshikawa siblings returned Pretty Cure's smiles of gratitude. For a moment, it looked like they wanted to say something in return. But then their strength suddenly failed them, and they pitched forwards.

The Illuster refugees' eyes widened in alarm as they sprang forwards to catch the Hoshikawa siblings in their arms. Nanami caught Selenite, Kohaku caught Tourmaline, and Sirius caught Agate the best they could, even as they steadied Irene in their other arm. The siblings were breathing raggedly and colorful wisps of light were beginning to rise from their forms, which were growing more indistinct by the moment. Nanami, Kohaku, and Sirius stared down at them, concern written all over their faces.

"It isn't even sundown yet!" Nanami protested. "So why...?"

Selenite looked away. "We used up all our energy during the battle."

"No matter what, we were doomed to disappear." Tourmaline said. "So, we decided to spend our last moments meaningfully."

"You said it yourself, right, Sirius?" Agate asked the librarian. "Better to risk it for a chance of happiness than safely live in fear. Even if it ended like this, I have no regrets."

Nanami shook her head. "That isn't right! Please hold on, everyone!" Tears streamed down her face as she spoke. "I'll find some way to save you!"

Kohaku looked towards Nanami and shook her head sadly. But although she tried to put on a brave face, her own eyes were welling with tears. Sirius looked no better.

Selenite reached a translucent hand towards Nanami's face and brushed her tears away. "The library committee... the people of your kingdom... you can't take care of them if you're busy mourning. So no more tears, okay?"

That was not an edict Nanami could follow. The tears kept coming.

"Please don't go, Tsukiko." she whispered as she gently stroked the other girl's hair.

Tourmaline shot a half-hearted glare at Kohaku. "Stop it. I can't stand seeing my rival cry over me." Her tone was affectionate despite the harsh content of her words. "Focus on something productive. Like improving your swordsmanship. Or taking down Sardonyx. Don't let me hold you back."

Kohaku nodded tearfully. "Of course, Yuu." she whispered as she held the other girl's hand in her own.

Agate smiled up at Sirius. "You'll get your library back. You'll see Procyon, Kaitos, Altair... all of them again. I should just be a blip on your radar." He chuckled half-heartedly. "C'mon, Sirius, cheer up. 's not like you, being this somber."

Sirius nodded. "I'll… I'll try to smile." Even now, they were making their best attempt at it. "But I won't forget you, Hisao."

"You were that fond of me, huh?" Agate grinned. "I can die happy, hearing that."

And then Agate's form went limp as his eyes closed for the last time. The twins' eyelids were fast growing heavy as well.

"Yuu, Tsukiko! Hold on!" Nanami cried. She looked frantically towards Tourmaline. "Yuu, didn't you want to protect nature with Irene?" Then, to Selenite. "Tsukiko, weren't you going to keep volunteering at the hospital? Don't leave us!"

"There are plenty of people who can protect nature." Tourmaline said quietly.

Selenite nodded. "And plenty of people who can heal others. It'll be alright."

"But they won't be you two!" Nanami was on the edge of breaking down. Kohaku hardly looked any better. "Is there nothing we can do?"

The twins looked every bit as broken up as Nanami. Even then, they tried their best to smile through their tears.

"Farewell." the two said in unison.

Moments after they spoke, the twins' forms went limp, and their eyes closed for good.

More and more flecks of colorful light rose from the three siblings' bodies as their human forms grew fainter and fainter, before dissolving completely in a flash of violet light. All that was left was a black rat snake, a peahen, and a gray-furred rabbit. All three animals were breathing shallowly, and they appeared to be in poor physical condition. It was unlikely they would last long, if at all.

Nanami broke down sobbing in Kohaku's arms. Even as Kohaku moved to comfort her crying partner, small sobs wracked her own form. Only Sirius remained dry-eyed, and even then, they looked terribly mournful. And then a bit of light shined from the case on their waist.

There was a blinding burst of light, and the Celestial Orgel was hovering in front of the group. As the Cures and Sirius watched in disbelief, the soft strains of the Rainbow Melody emanated from the Orgel. Its lid opened for a moment as a soft, rainbow-colored shower of light issued forth from within, bathing the animals that had once been the Hoshikawa siblings in its glow.

Rainbow-colored sparkles surrounded the animals' forms as they rose into the air, hovering before the Illuster refugees. All three began to glow with rainbow-colored light as their forms shifted back into those of Hisao, Yuu, and Tsukiko. Three shining, pristine, and perfectly human Roaring Sparks, hovered above their chests before sinking down into them, bringing a bit of color to their once deathly pale skin.

The Hoshikawa siblings were gently deposited back onto the ground. The Orgel gently clattered down after them moments later.

For a moment, the siblings remained motionless. But then their eyes slowly flickered open, revealing a shine to them that had not been there before. They remained still and quiet for some time, as if they were struggling to process what had just happened. Then Yuu reached out and gently laid her hand on her sister's own. The moment she did, she broke into a genuine smile.

"Tsukiko... you're warm."

Tsukiko smiled right back. "So are you, Yuu."

The sisters took in the sight of each other and then their brother. The three's eyes welled with tears as reality sank in for them.

"We're alive." Hisao said incredulously. "We're _human_."

Nanami and Kohaku wasted no time pulling the twins into a tight hug. Both sisters leaned into the Cures' embraces, tears streaming down their cheeks as Nanami and Kohaku held them close.

"The strong emotions you felt, the dreams you held onto, and the willpower you displayed... such things are what make up our Roaring Sparks." Sirius said. "Perhaps that's what brought you back."

Yuu stared at Sirius incredulously, once she parted from Kohaku's embrace. "Then we became human…"

"…through the power of our hearts?" Tsukiko asked, once she did the same.

"Not just your own hearts!" Nanami said. "The strong love you had for each other, the attachments you formed here… things like that make us human too!"

"Love really is a powerful thing." Even as Kohaku spoke, she shared a meaningful glance with Nanami. "It can even create miracles, it seems."

"The power of love?" the twins chorused.

"What a strange notion." Hisao said. "But… I like it."

"That's right!" Nanami said. "Love really is a wonderful thing!"

There was a great deal that Pretty Cure, Sirius, and the newly-human Hoshikawa siblings had to take care of. Irene needed a safe place to rest, and the confusion that would certainly plague Seizato's population would need sorting out. And then there was the matter of their opponents and the more difficult battles that almost certainly laid ahead. There was much to worry about. But for right now, the future seemed to shine more brightly than ever for the six warriors.


	19. Episode Nineteen

**Episode Nineteen** : Four Hearts Together! Pavo and Lepus!

* * *

Tsukiko vividly remembered what she had believed to be her and her siblings' final moments.

She remembered coming to after that final battle and realizing that she was quite nearly used up, like a candle burnt away to its nub. She remembered being overcome by a sense of blind panic as she realized that she and her siblings' very existences were fast dissolving into nothing, only for that panic to fade into a sense of peaceful resignation moments before the end, even as Nanami tearfully begged her and her siblings not to go. And then, nothing more.

Not that Tsukiko had experienced nonexistence for long. For suddenly afterward, she had been pulled right back into the conscious world and enveloped in a sense of warmth unlike anything she had ever experienced before.

For a moment, Tsukiko had found herself wondering if she had become a daughter of the air or something to that effect, just like the mermaid from that story. But then she had opened her eyes and found herself right where she was before. But now how she was before. For once, her body felt warm, alive, and most importantly, like it belonged to her.

She and her siblings weren't bound to the Void Clan anymore. They didn't have to answer to Sardonyx anymore. They were human. They were _free_.

Even now, this had not fully sunk in for Tsukiko. It didn't seem like her siblings were any better. But that was fine. For now, she would just be thankful she was alive.

Everyone had returned back to the still-vacant Shooting Star immediately afterward, but only temporarily. Once Irene was safe and secure in Nanami's bed, and Sirius had agreed to stand vigil over her, Nanami declared she was heading back out. No one had to come along with her, she insisted. But she could not leave the many, many people affected by the Utsuroid's attack alone. She had to at least ensure that they were alright.

Of course, Nanami did not venture out alone. Kohaku had attempted to talk Nanami out of it, and when that didn't work, she decided she was at least going to help her partner out. Yuu had wasted no time in coming along as well – she did not verbalize her reasoning, but Tsukiko could easily pick up on the unspoken "this is my fault, and I am obligated to fix it" in her twin's words. And Tsukiko and Hisao had accompanied everyone because it was the right thing to do. And because Tsukiko did not want to be without her sister. Not right now.

And so, the five had ventured back out into Seizato, doing their best to see to the many fallen people in the area. Everyone seemed alright, if terribly disoriented and confused. As far as the group could tell, no one had been hurt either. But this was still causing Nanami a great deal of stress, and Yuu looked quietly miserable. Hardly anyone else looked any better. Even if everyone had been saved, even if the world would keep on turning, it should never have gotten this bad.

This had lasted for all of half an hour before someone had loudly cleared their throat behind the group.

"Sheesh, are you all trying to make me go gray over here?"

The five turned around to find Tsubasa standing behind them. The café owner looked thoroughly bedraggled and exhausted, not to mention a bit confused by the siblings' continued and slightly altered presence, but otherwise, she seemed alright. And that in itself was a great relief for Nanami and Kohaku, who wasted no time in rushing towards Tsubasa and pulling her into a hug, one she eagerly returned. The siblings hung back, even as Pretty Cure parted from the hug, the twins averting their gaze while Hisao offered Tsubasa a thin smile.

"Nice to see you again, Tsubasa." he said.

Tsubasa returned Hisao's smile with a strained one of her own. "I mean, same. You've got some explaining to do, but I'll take this." Then, to Nanami and Kohaku. "I'm so glad it isn't over. For a moment, I thought I wouldn't see you two again." She wiped her watering eyes before adding "Now, c'mon. Before anything else-"

Nanami shook her head. "It really is quite alright. We have had quite the battle, but I still have energy to spare. Besides, everyone in this town-"

Before Nanami could finish that sentence, she nearly pitched forwards, forcing Kohaku to reach out and stabilize her before she hit the ground.

That had been argument enough for Tsubasa. "Please don't force yourself anymore. You've done enough to help everyone – it's high time you took care of yourselves." She looked from the Cures to the siblings and back again. "Man, I have so many questions. But they can wait. You all need a good meal and a warm bed. That's the important thing."

The journey to Shooting Star had felt so arduous to Tsukiko and her siblings. Her body was fast beginning to feel like a lead weight, and it seemed that her siblings and Pretty Cure were faring no better. Nanami and Kohaku had leaned on one another for support the entire way, and soon, she and Yuu found themselves leaning on Hisao. So, this was what it meant to feel exhausted. It was an unpleasant feeling, but it was apparently a very human one. Just as human as the strange, gnawing pain in her stomach, in fact.

Tsubasa had prepared a hearty stew for everyone, after firmly shooting down offers of help from both Kohaku and Hisao. Everyone had eaten their meal in silence, being too exhausted, both physically and emotionally, to make proper conversation. Chiasa had dropped by to take Irene home with her halfway through dinner. She had seemed terribly unsure of what to say to anyone present, and Yuu had been unable to meet her eyes.

Nanami and Kohaku would be sharing Nanami's bed that evening - neither Cure could bring herself to sleep alone, not after everything that had happened. Kohaku had offered her own bed to the twins, and Hisao had volunteered to sleep on the den's couch. Yuu had quietly grumbled about how inconvenient actually needing sleep was, but she had still dropped off long before Tsukiko did. Some things would never change, Tsukiko mused before she was overcome by sleep. The twins did not let go of one another's hand the entire night.

The realization that she could no longer feel Yuu's hand sent Tsukiko jolting awake. For a moment, her mind reeled in a blind panic, wondering where she was, if Sardonyx would be angry at her, why her body felt so different, and then everything came rushing back to her. She still felt terribly floaty and disconnected from. Everything about this, but it at least came back to her.

And then she spotted her school uniform folded neatly on the nearby desk. Right, she and Yuu were normal schoolgirls now. They had no option but to attend. And they would be attending, because Sorairo had insisted on opening its doors today, despite all that had happened.

Tsukiko stumbled downstairs in her uniform to find most everyone else in Shooting Star's main area. Kohaku was in the kitchen, hard at working cooking breakfast for everyone. Nanami and Yuu sat at the counter – the former was trying to make friendly conversation, and although the latter was clearly out of her element, she was at least offering token short responses to Nanami's remarks. Sirius sat at a nearby table, enjoying a latte. And of course, Tsubasa was behind the counter, giving the coffee machines some last-minute maintenance.

Well, almost everyone was here, anyway.

"Where's Hisao?" Tsukiko asked as she took her place at the counter besides Yuu.

Tsubasa shook her head sadly. "Out cold. I tried to wake him up, but it was like trying to talk to a wall. I'll try again soon. He'll give himself a bad back, sleeping like he was."

The twins looked at one another and sighed heavily. It seemed some things about Hisao would never change.

Everyone settled in to eat breakfast as Tsubasa prepared to open Shooting Star for business. She wasn't certain she was going to get many customers, but she was determined to do all she could to help lift everyone's spirits. If the people of Seizato didn't need her coffee before, then they definitely did now, right?

"It's so strange." Kohaku said, vigorously blowing on each bite of her breakfast all the while. "The world could have ended yesterday. And yet, everyone's already trying to get back to normal."

"Humans really are a resilient bunch." Nanami looked aside, a pensive expression on her face. "But something tells me this isn't the sort of thing this town will get over easily. Not after everything that happened."

Tsubasa nodded. "I've already heard rumors. Seems a lot more news of Pretty Cure is going around. Doesn't sound like many people are interested in finding a 'rational' explanation for this business either. Something weird is going on in Seizato, and yesterday made it impossible for people to ignore."

"That's all rather troublesome, yes, yes." Sirius said. "But in the end, the six of us were able to save everyone. _And_ ," they added with a nod towards the Hoshikawa siblings, "we were able to save you three. I still don't quite understand how that happened, but I won't question it."

Yuu stared down at her plate. "I am grateful to be alive." she said quietly. "And grateful that this world was saved. But does it have a place for us in it?"

Tsukiko placed a gentle hand over her sister's own. "I'm sure it will! I found my spot, and I'm sure you can too, Yuu. There's no reason not to try, now that we're free."

"That's right!" said Nanami. "And I will be with you every step of the way. For your sake, I will not give up on you."

Kohaku smiled thinly. "I do owe you guys. But…" She shot a worried towards Tsubasa. "Is it okay having them live here in the long term? It seems a little crowded in here."

Tsubasa shook her head. "Yeah, I'm not sure this'll work out." She bowed apologetically to the twins. "I mean, don't get me wrong! I do like you guys! But this place wasn't made to house anything beyond a family of four. I can try and make it work, but…"

"I'm sorry." Tsukiko said. "We really don't want to impose on you."

Yuu nodded solemnly. "I apologize. The three of us did not plan to live long enough for this to become an issue."

Nanami just offered the sisters a warm smile. "Listen – don't worry about it too much." she said. "I know someone who might be able to help you three find a place to live." Her eyes flicked to the clock on the wall. "But before everything else, we probably should worry about getting to school on time."

* * *

Celes and Vulpecula stood vigil over Sardonyx as the Void Clan leader unconscious in bed. She was running an unusually high fever again, and just as before, the heat was radiating from her body and into the room.

Her bedchamber felt like a sauna, and although Vulpecula could stand the heat well enough, Celes was a completely different story. The young princess was clearly overheating. At present, she was swaying heavily on her feet and clinging to Vulpecula's arm just to keep herself steady. But she refused to leave the room. Not yet. Not until she could be certain that Sardonyx was even slightly okay.

Vulpecula dabbed a moist rag on Sardonyx's forehead as Celes looked on worriedly. She might as well have not even bothered. The sheer heat made the water in the rag evaporate immediately as the smell of singed cloth cut through the air. Vulpecula withdrew the rag immediately.

"I just don't get it!" Vulpecula cast a quizzical glance towards Celes. "Lady Sardonyx needs negative energy, right? And I collected so much! Hundreds of times more than those three ever managed, all in one day! Then why did she end up like this?"

Celes frowned. "She got really sick like this before." Right before Kugelblitz had first shown herself, at that. How worrisome. "I wonder if her body can't process this much negative energy at once?" Or maybe it was something far uglier than that. "She's never had an offering this large before."

It probably was something worse than simple power overflow, Celes mused. After all, Sardonyx had seemed genuinely scared towards the end.

She had remained by Sardonyx's side the entire time, from when she had suddenly looked up from their game of cards and quietly announced that she could no longer feel the Void Triad's life force, forcing Celes to end the game while she briefly slunk off to grieve, to when Vulpecula had finally returned to the audience chamber, ready to offer the negative energy she had gathered. Her gem had blazed blindingly with violet light, and her entire body glowed faintly with a violet aura.

"I did it, Lady Sardonyx!" Vulpecula had chirped. "And not a moment too soon." She grimaced uncomfortably as she placed a hand behind her head. "I feel like a cup about to run over."

Sardonyx had tried to appear proud of Vulpecula. But she could not make it. She was still obviously hurting over the Void Triad's demise. And when she saw the sheer amount of negative energy that Vulpecula had brought back with her, she looked as frightened as she did mournful.

"Ah… I see you did deliver on my expectations. I'm proud, Vulpecula."

She had sounded terribly small and broken as she spoke, even as she clearly tried to cast the arrogant and imposing air of an evil queen. It was disconcertingly familiar to Celes, for reasons she quickly managed to place.

 _"Please try! I don't know how much longer I have left!"_

But she had quickly shook that notion off. It was ridiculous. That girl had been so young, assuming she had even existed in the first place. Not an adult like Sardonyx. And it didn't matter anyway.

What did matter was how badly Sardonyx was trembling, even as she motioned Vulpecula towards her. How confused Vulpecula looked, even as she hurried to give Sardonyx the offering, lest she spill over. How high Sardonyx's shadow loomed above her, the closer Vulpecula drew. And how quickly the temperature in the room was beginning to drop.

The moment Sardonyx had accepted the offering of negative energy from Vulpecula, she began to blaze with violet light as all remaining vestiges of warmth drained from the audience chamber. She pulled away from Vulpecula, her eyes wide with terror as her body jerked in pain.

The air had begun to crackle with energy as Sardonyx's form blazed brighter and brighter. Instinctively, Vulpecula had leapt in front of Celes, shifting into the form of a large fox and shielding her with her body as a blinding flash of violet light illuminated the audience chamber, which was shaken to its foundations by a powerful explosion.

When the light had faded, and the temperature had returned to its normal inhospitable chilliness, Vulpecula shifted back to her humanoid form and helped Celes to her feet. And then the two had spotted Sardonyx collapsed in an unmoving heap in the middle of the floor. She had proven completely unresponsive and was growing hotter and hotter to the touch by the moment.

Sardonyx had remained this way ever since. She showed no signs of improvement. In fact, she seemed to be getting steadily worse.

Celes didn't seem to be faring any better either. The young princess' legs were above to give out, and her hair was all but plastered to her forehead.

Vulpecula laid a hand on Celes' shoulder. "Come on, Lady Celes – we need to get out of here before you get sick. There's not much we can do for Lady Sardonyx right now."

For a moment, Celes looked ready to protest, but then, she thought better of it and nodded solemnly. "Yeah. Lady Sardonyx would worry if something happened to me." She offered a hand to Vulpecula. The latter took it, and they exited the bedchamber, hand in hand. "Do you want to play a game? It's been forever since I played paddleball! Or there are some board games we could try!"

"Why not both, Lady Celes?" Vulpecula chirped. "We have plenty of time!"

"I guess that's true." Celes replied. She hesitated by the bedchamber door before she shook her head. "Then, let's go! There's all kind of fun things we can do!"

Celes all but pulled Vulpecula along as she happily marched towards the Citadel courtyard. Neither she nor Vulpecula noticed how the bedchamber doors shut behind them and flashed violet. And neither were present to see how Sardonyx's shadow was beginning to loom steadily larger over her.

* * *

It was clear that Seizato was still smarting badly from everything that had happened yesterday. As the Cures and the twins journeyed to the train station, they noticed that there were fewer people out and about this time of day. There was a strange, uneasy energy in the air, and snatches of whispered conversation carried towards the four's ears now and again.

People were indeed confused and panicked about all that had passed yesterday, in conjunction with the many, many isolated incidents that had taken place before. There was no shortage of nervous speculation about what had happened, what this meant, and if such an obviously paranormal happening would strike Seizato again. And there was plenty of whispering about the shining heroes that had swooped in and returned everything to normal. Most people believed they had dreamed them. But many spoke of them in grateful tones all the same.

"There really is no way for people to ignore this." Nanami sighed. "I wish I could tell them the truth… but then, I doubt that would help them at all."

Kohaku nodded. "They're probably better off not knowing how much danger they were in. Will be in. Our future battles will probably be even harder, after all."

"It certainly seems that way." Nanami agreed. "And I worry that two Cures might not be enough for much longer." She glanced towards the twins, only for the question she was going to ask them to die in her throat as she got a good look at the two sisters. Both Yuu and Tsukiko looked a little ill, and they were looking around intently, as if they had lost something. "Yuu? Tsukiko? Is all well?"

Yuu shook her head sadly. "I can't feel the birds anymore." She was trying to look blank-faced, but she was clearly heartbroken. "I tried to reach out to some, but they won't answer me."

"I can't feel the rabbits around here either." Tsukiko tried to sound nonchalant. She wasn't quite making it. "I guess becoming human has its downsides."

Nanami looked a bit lost on what to say for a moment, before she finally settled for "I'm sorry. I cannot imagine how that must feel."

"Really lonely, honestly." Tsukiko said… right before trying her best to perk herself back up. "But it's okay! Really! It's not like I'm _alone_! I'll be fine!"

Yuu said nothing. She simply sighed miserably and stared down at the ground. She trailed behind the group the rest of the way as they journeyed towards the train station.

There was no big fanfare waiting for the twins when they and Pretty Cure finally arrived in 2-B. And why would there be? As far as the - noticeably smaller than usual - number of students present were concerned, the twins were just home sick for a day. A few people did a brief double-take at the sisters, having clearly noticed _something_ different about the pair, but on the whole, they reacted to them in the usual manner – by greeting Tsukiko warmly and giving Yuu a wide berth.

Yuu sat down at her desk and proceeded to silently stare at her hands. For once, she seemed genuinely bothered by being shunned. Tsukiko took her place at her own desk and moved to comfort her sister, only to be swarmed with a small crowd of people, who proceeded to interrogate her about yesterday's incident. Before the Cures could go after the sisters, Amane came bounding towards them.

"Nanami! Kohaku! You're alright!" Amane was bouncing on her heels a little as she addressed the pair. "And those two are safe as well! So, it really was okay! And you really were okay! After… you know." She gestured vaguely before lowering her voice conspiratorially. "It was another attack by those Void people, right? A huge one! That's why everyone passed out, right?"

"Y-yeah, that's about the size of it." Kohaku said nervously. "Or so I understand."

For a moment, Amane looked oddly knowing. But then, it passed, and she replied with a cheery "But Pretty Cure came through for us in the end. If they hadn't, we wouldn't be here right now."

"That's right." Nanami said. "They believe in this town and the people in it. That's why those two always fight their hardest."

The talk of Pretty Cure must have alerted the rest of 2-B, because soon, Nanami and Kohaku found themselves swarmed by their classmates and being pelted by questions.

"Is it true that Pretty Cure saved us?"

"Nagisa-san, I heard from a friend of a friend that you and Shishioh-san know this 'Pretty Cure'. What are they like?"

"Did Pretty Cure look anything like the girls in this drawing?"

"I heard there are two Pretty Cure, but I think I remember six! Is it true?"

Nanami noticed that Misaki and Taeko were conspicuously not among the group of people hassling them about Pretty Cure. The pair had remained at their desks and were pointedly looking away, a clear look of 'this is not our business' written on their faces. Nanami did catch them glancing apologetically at her in passing. How odd. She thought they would have been the most curious of all.

And then the bell had rung, and a rather exhausted-looking Megumi had entered the classroom. That was the cue for everyone to nervously shuffle back to their seats, many still whispering about Pretty Cure all the while.

Nanami and Kohaku heaved a relieved sigh in unison. It seemed that Pretty Cure was becoming much more popular than ever before. And that the two's gift to Banri had ended up linking them to Seizato's local heroines. Neither were sure what to make of that.

Nanami cast a worried glance towards the sisters as the lecture started. Yuu looked terribly lost, and Tsukiko seemed a bit spaced out. The sight made her desire to ask them about the Roaring Medallions dry up further. It was not a matter she could leave untouched. But for now, they probably had enough to process without her adding more onto the pile.

And that aside, the four had a more pressing matter to attend to – their meeting with Yuzuki and Robin and all that was sure to entail. So, Nanami tried her best to pay attention during class, even in the face of her worries about the future and the nervous energy that continued to buzz in the air.

* * *

There was a heavy pall hanging over the courtyard as Pretty Cure and the twins met their upperclassmen over lunch. Yuzuki was trying to seem perfectly at ease, but her mood was clearly being affected by Robin. The sun of Sorairo had completely lost her shine. Her expression was dour, and her gaze kept flitting towards Yuu, who could not meet her eyes.

Uncomfortable silence reigned at the table for several minutes before Yuzuki finally cleared her throat.

"Yuu, Tsukiko. I understand that you and your brother need my help." She was trying to sound as level as possible as she addressed the twins. "You had a falling out with your benefactor, and you no longer have anywhere to live, correct?"

"That's right." Tsukiko said. For a moment, she seemed ready for Yuzuki to press her for more information. The latter seemed ready to. But the moment never came. "The three of us are living with Aozora-san right now, but she can't support that many people."

"I apologize for dropping this on you out of nowhere, Yuzuki." Nanami said. "But no one else I talked to was able to take them in. Nobody knew anyone who could either."

Yuzuki shook her head. "Nanami, it's alright. As student council president, I cannot let two of Sorairo's students live on the streets. And as your friend, I cannot let your own friends suffer needlessly." She hummed thoughtfully. "I would love to host you three, but my parents would not approve. Arranging for an apartment should be more doable, however. Mind you, I cannot get you one for free."

Kohaku shot Yuzuki a quizzical glance. "Those two are junior high school students, and their brother's been unemployed for a while. They can't afford something like that."

"It doesn't have to be right away." Yuzuki said. "And I can negotiate it down. As long as their brother can procure a job and pay at least most of the lease, I should be able to convince my parents. They are a bit less busy over the summer, so if all goes well, I can arrange everything in a day or so."

Yuu looked genuinely floored by the notion. Floored and more than a little guilty. If Yuzuki knew who they were…

"Thank you." She did not meet Yuzuki's gaze as she spoke. "I'm grateful that you would do such a thing."

"Well, that's Yuzu for you. Her parents might be stingy with their finances, but she's got a heart as big as the world."

Robin's voice made everyone jump a little. It was understandable – she had ben eating her lunch in sullen silence up until now. And now she had abandoned said lunch and was calmly regarding Yuu. The usual sparkle in her eyes was absent, and the bouncy quality in her tone had vanished as well. She pushed her lunch aside before she spoke again.

"You know, I really don't wish you ill, Yuu." she said. "Even now, I want to think of you as a friend. But I can't get past what happened recently. Not right now."

Yuu forced herself to meet Robin's eyes. "Irene."

Robin nodded. "She's furious at you. She never wants to see you again. Those are the first things she told me when she woke up. She won't tell me why, but it must have been something bad."

Yuu looked absolutely crushed by this news. Still, she made no efforts to defend herself. Even if the last act had not been her own, she had paved the road towards it.

"Irene loved you so much, Yuu." Robin said. "Every time I turned around, she was singing your praises. So, for her to speak about you like this? You must have done something to let her down."

Yuu lowered her gaze. "I won't ask for your forgiveness."

"And you shouldn't. It has nothing to do with me." Robin agreed. "It has everything to do with Irene. Her feelings are the only ones that matter here."

Yuu was vaguely aware of Tsukiko placing her hand over her own and of Pretty Cure looking at her with concern. It helped a little, but at the same time, she knew she neither needed nor deserved it.

"I think it would be best if I stayed out of Irene's life." Yuu said. "Don't worry, Asahina-san. I'll leave her alone from now on. And unless Irene seeks me out, it will remain that way."

It would be terribly lonely, and some ugly part of Yuu's heart railed with indignation at the thought. But this was the right thing to do, wasn't it? One tiny step on the path to being better.

Robin managed some semblance of a smile. "Thank you, Yuu."

The group ate in silence for some time longer before Nanami managed to shift the topic to light conversation about everyone's summer vacation plans. But Yuu said very little and ate even less throughout the rest of lunch period, and Tsukiko seemed far too worried about her sister to contribute much to the discussion.

* * *

Everything was so hot. Everything was so terribly, unbearably hot.

Sardonyx thought she had known pain before, after her last bout of illness. But no, that was nothing compared to now. She felt as if she were in danger of burning away to ash from within. She could hardly breathe, for the sheer heaviness of the air that surrounded her. And every inch of her body felt like it was being needled with white-hot knives.

For a moment, she wondered why she could manage to remain on her feet, despite the agony she was in, and then she got a better look at her surroundings. They were heavily distorted by the heat her body was emanating even now, but she would recognize the Kingdom of Crystals anywhere.

So, she was dreaming. She really hadn't been able to take in all of that negative energy at once.

There was something glimmering with faint violet light ahead. Something Sardonyx could not resist approaching, no matter how loudly some part of her mind cried out in alarm. So, she forced herself forwards, gritting her teeth as she fought through both her pain and the searing temperatures around her.

No people existed in her dreamscape. Of course they didn't. This was the Kingdom of Crystals as it had been towards the end. But as she advanced forwards, she could see fleeting images through the haze.

There was a tiny girl with gold and red-orange hair and vermillion eyes, crying inconsolably as two coffins were lowered into the ground. A crowd of people were in attendance, all of which sported a wide variety of striking hair and eye colors, and a crystal embedded somewhere on their bodies. Many of them were moving to comfort the girl, who clung to them for dear life.

Images of the girl advancing through her childhood, from a toddler, to a young child, then to a preteen. She was never alone in these images. There were so many people taking care of her, supporting her when she needed help, and as she grew older, providing her instruction in various fields. She might have been an orphan, but she was not wanting for love.

For a moment, Sardonyx found herself smiling fondly at echoes of times gone by. But then, she looked away sharply and pressed onward. She knew what came next.

And indeed, as Sardonyx advanced further, the images became less comforting. The people in that town were beginning to lose their love for that girl, along with every other emotion they held in their hearts. She watched helplessly as the kinsmen who had loved her as one of her own began to treat her with more and more apathy. Her and everything else. Something was wrong.

Things became worse by the day. Everything in this town – in her entire kingdom – was going to seed, as people lost their capacity to do anything but stare into empty air. No matter how hard she scrambled for an answer to this curse, she could not find one. And most perplexingly at all, she was left completely untouched.

More and more images flashed by. The girl was fast growing desperate. She turned to prayer, asking the gods to tell why a child like herself had to endure these trials, wondering why she was left untouched while everyone around her fell, and begging them to send someone, anyone to help her kingdom.

But nobody came.

And then, that day had come. The day when they girl had woken up to find her very homeland dead and silent and her kingdom littered with empty shells. The day she had been left to stumble through a gray and desolate landscape, futilely out to someone, anyone in hopes that there was a single person who was not yet beyond hope.

But Sardonyx knew what the answer had been in the end.

 _"I couldn't save any of them… not a single one!"_

And then _she_ had appeared to her. Kugelblitz. The Queen of the Void.

She had been so insubstantial back then. A mere shade vaguely shaped like a woman. But Sardonyx had still found herself trembling before her. And then her fear had given way to anger. This woman was one of the gods, right? Why had she not saved them? Why had she left Sardonyx untouched? How dare she only show herself, when everything was beyond saving!

Kugelblitz had not even batted an eye. She was sealed in this land. They had built their kingdom over it. It was in her nature to extinguish Roaring Sparks. She could not help it. It was their fault.

And the shining kingdom to the north? Illuster? They had known about this all along.

They had known Kugelblitz was sealed in this land for the past three thousand years. They had known that the Kingdom of Crystals was blighted. And they possessed something that could have saved her kinsmen before it was too late. And they had done nothing. Because they considered Sardonyx and her people to be less than refuse.

There was no restoring her kinsmen. There was nothing left for Sardonyx. Not anymore. What was she going to do, Kugelblitz had asked her? How would she deal with the people of that kingdom?

The answer was quite obvious to Sardonyx. Hurt them. Make them suffer as badly as she had suffered in the end.

Or rather, she was going to _help_ them. Because this, Kugelblitz had explained, was actually the way things were meant to be. Emotions would fade. Dreams could be crushed. Willpower could be daunted. The loss of such things was the root cause of Sardonyx's suffering. She and everyone else would be better off if no one possessed such things.

Sardonyx was going to save Illuster. And then she would go on to save every other kingdom. Every other world. A multiverse of silence. Everyone frozen eternally. That was how it was meant to be.

"And I was willing to give a child such as yourself the means to accomplish such goals. Was that not generous of me?"

The violet light that Sardonyx had been drawn to was now hovering in front of her. As she watched, it shifted into the form of Queen Kugelblitz. Her presence was still somewhat indistinct, like someone viewed through frosted glass. But it was still clearly the Queen of the Void.

It was no longer unbearably hot. Suddenly, it was freezing cold. A sharp chill wind blew towards Sardonyx, forcing her to brace against it, lest she be knocked flat.

When Sardonyx regained her footing, she realized she was looking up at Kugelblitz, where she had been meeting her at eye level before. She looked down at herself and felt her breath catch in her chest. She had returned to the mere twelve-year-old she was back then.

"Why…?" she whispered incredulously.

"You were useful for what you were." Kugelblitz's tone dripped with venomous contempt. "But you never overcame your nature. You are a sentimental and fragile thing. A naïf that clung too hard to your toys. As typical of children. I should have isolated a better medium." She flashed Sardonyx a too-wide smile. "Ah well. I shall soon move on to better things. Even if I must utilize another child."

Sardonyx's eyes widened with horror. "Celes." she whispered. Immediately, her hands lit up with golden fire and she assumed an attacking stance. "You're not using Celes!"

Kugelblitz did not so much as react. Sardonyx narrowed her eyes and fired two blasts of golden fire at her. Kugelblitz made no attempt to evade. She didn't have to. The fireballs passed right through her form.

Before Sardonyx had a chance to do anything more, Kugelblitz's eyes flashed violet. Instantly, tendrils of darkness erupted from the ground and snared around Sardonyx's limbs. As she stared at Kugelblitz in a mixture of shock and hatred, the tendrils began to drag her into the pit of darkness that had opened at her feet. And no matter how hard she struggled against her bonds, they held her fast.

Kugelblitz remained nonplussed. "It is entirely your fault that Celes ended up where she did. And you reserve your hatred for _me_?"

The fire in Sardonyx's eyes flickered and died, and she ceased struggling. That was right. Everything that Celes had endured was her fault. Everything that was going to happen to Celes was her fault. All of this was her fault, and this was exactly what she deserved.

As Sardonyx was dragged down into the darkness, she could hear Kugelblitz laughing softly in the distance.

"Farewell, Sardonyx."

And then, she knew nothing more.

* * *

Yuzuki really had been able to arrange things with her parents quite quickly. During homeroom the next day, she informed Pretty Cure and the twins that she had successfully convinced her parents to procure a small apartment in uptown Seizato for the Hoshikawa siblings. It would be a modest two-bedroom affair, and even that was a godsend for the siblings. After all, the three had never had any place that was uniquely theirs before.

Of course, one could not live in an unfurnished apartment. And the siblings had very little else to their names at present. So, Yuzuki had talked her parents into providing a bit of money for that as well. Tsubasa had also chipped in to their best of her ability.

"It's only fair." she had informed the three, over Hisao's quiet protests. "I'm the one who made noise about not being able to house you all."

Naturally, this called for a shopping trip. Hisao had not come along – Tsubasa had offered to teach him how to make coffee, with the reward of a tall espresso afterwards, and he had no intention of passing up on either. That left the Illuster refugees and the twins on their own this afternoon.

Tsukiko had been very excited about the shopping trip. She had anxiously interrogated Pretty Cure about what she might need, rigorously picked Yuu's brain about what they might want in their shared bedroom, eagerly jotted down a prospective shopping list, and had been visibly close to rocketing out of the stratosphere from sheer anticipation all afternoon.

Yuu had tried to match Tsukiko's enthusiasm in her own, understated manner. And at first, she had managed to succeed well enough to keep Pretty Cure or her twin from so much as glancing at her sideways. But as the school day wound to a close, it became more and more clear that something was eating at her. And Pretty Cure and Tsukiko knew what that something was.

By the time the group had arrived in the epicenter of Seizato's shopping district, much of the light had faded from Yuu's eyes, most of the spring in Tsukiko's step was gone, and the Illuster refugees' desire to make casual conversation had faltered badly. For once, it fell to Kohaku to cut through the awkward silence that settled over the group.

"I think you did a big thing yesterday." she gently informed Yuu, who was staring morosely at the ground. "The Yuu I met a few months ago would have never admitted she was wrong, let alone resolved things like you did."

Yuu's feathers were visibly ruffled by Kohaku's words. For a moment, she looked like she was on the edge of sniping at the other girl. But finally, she softened and nodded sadly.

"You're right, Kohaku Shishioh. At least I managed that much." She barely managed to make eye contact with Kohaku, and her tone sounded terribly wilted.

Tsukiko gave Yuu's hand a gentle squeeze. "That's still _something_!" she said gently. "This is the first day of the rest of our lives, Yuu. We'll redeem ourselves bit by bit."

"That's right." Nanami smiled warmly at both sisters, trying her best to cut through Yuu's stormy mood and Tsukiko's cloudy one. "You two changed a great deal even before you were freed, and you have plenty of room to grow. It won't happen all at once. You'll become."

Tsukiko nodded solemnly. "Right. Like the Velveteen Rabbit." Immediately, her eyes lit up, and she gasped quietly, as if she had just hint upon the discovery of a century. "That's it! The rabbit… I'm allowed to have more!" She looked pleadingly towards her sister. "Yuu, I want to buy some plushies for our room!"

Yuu tried her best to force a smile. "I guess that would be fun."

Sirius let out a low whine. "You don't have to force it, you know, you know?"

Yuu remained silent. That was Nanami's cue to jump in.

"I know!" she said. "Kohaku, Siri, would it be alright if we split up? That way, someone can look at plushies with Tsukiko, and someone else can help Yuu out. We can reunite and figure out our next move here in an hour or two."

"I wouldn't mind." Kohaku said. "There's a furniture store near the toy shop, Tsukiko. Maybe we could look at bedding for you guys afterward?"

"Sure!" Tsukiko chirped. She glanced worriedly towards her sister. "Do you want to go with Nanami, Yuu?"

"That sounds acceptable." Yuu still sounded rather out of it, but the forced-sounding quality to her voice was gone. "Humans need 'personal care' items, correct?"

"That they do." Nanami said. "We'll find you and Tsukiko some nice ones."

"And I'll stay with Lady Nanami and Yuu, yes, yes." Sirius said. "There are some things I want to discuss anyway."

Tsukiko looked rather knowing at Sirius' words, and Yuu looked a bit awkward. They both knew full well what this 'something' was.

And with that decided, the group parted ways for the time being.

* * *

Shopping with Yuu had left Nanami and Sirius feeling terribly awkward. There was the older twin's stormy mood, of course, but there was also her lack of willingness to choose anything for herself. Yuu dutifully went along with what Nanami told her she would need, but when it came to what she might want, she was at a loss. It was quite the contrast to Tsukiko, who eagerly threw out requests and suggestions every time she messaged Nanami via Kohaku's phone.

Nanami politely refused to say anything about Yuu's behavior. She knew the older twin was not doing it to be mean – it had taken Kohaku some time to discover her own volition, and if Nanami had extended understanding towards her partner, she could extend it towards Yuu. But it was troubling her, and that must have showed blatantly on her face, because Yuu paused to regard her while the pair were in the middle of browsing for toothbrushes.

"I'm annoying you, aren't I?" she asked.

"You're not." Nanami said. "But you are troubling me a bit. I don't want to feel like I'm forcing anything on you, Yuu. And when you leave every decision to me, it's easy to feel like I am."

Yuu pretended to be very interested in the toothbrush selection. "You aren't forcing me, Nanami. It's just how I am. I was created as a tool. And tools have no real desires."

Nanami shook her head. "Please don't call yourself that." she said firmly. "It hurt to hear Kohaku say it, and it hurts to hear you say it. Neither of you are anyone's tools. You never were." Her tone softened as she added "Perhaps I'm going about this incorrectly. What's your favorite color, Yuu?"

Even that question had Yuu visibly lost. But finally, she sputtered out a quiet "Blue?"

That was a wonderful place to start, Nanami decided. Once Yuu had limited herself to the blue personal products, it was only a matter of time before she started figuring out what shades and designs appealed to her the most. Soon, the two girls emerged from the store with a generous selection of items for both Yuu and Tsukiko.

Yuu looked a bit better now, but she still seemed a bit morose. That was Sirius' cue to run up to her and allow her to bury her fingers in the soft and thick fur on their head. It seemed to help a bit. But even then, she still seemed a bit down.

"Oh my, my… are you feeling well, Yuu?" Sirius asked. "We can take a break if you wish."

"I'm fine." Yuu forced herself to advance several paces before she paused, a frown crossing her features. "No, I'm…" She let out a hiss of exasperation and sat down heavily on a nearby bench, letting her shopping bags drop to the ground. Nanami sat down gently next to her, and Sirius sat near her feet. "I _should_ be fine. But I'm still upset about Irene."

"That is perfectly understandable-" Nanami started.

Yuu looked away from Nanami. "It isn't. I targeted Irene so I could take her Roaring Spark. At the beginning, I thought of her as nothing more than a means to an end. And even after I started regretting my actions, I never once told her the truth. Not until it was too late."

"I won't pretend what you did was right. Not at all." Nanami said. "But when people are scared-"

"Does fear really excuse my selfishness?" Yuu retorted. "Asahina-san has a right to be angry at me. And it really is best for Irene if I stay away from her. And a part of me is upset about both of those things. I'm disgusting even now."

Nanami laid a gentle hand over Yuu's. "You recognize what you did was wrong. That matters more than any selfish indignation you feel. Selfishness is quite human, really." She laughed sadly. "To be honest, I'm terribly selfish myself."

Yuu stared at Nanami in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"You three helped take the kingdom and the people I loved away from me." Nanami said. "As one of Illuster's princess, I should despise you. But when you went after the Orgel, I couldn't see an enemy of Illuster. All I could see was a girl my own age, willing to suffer horribly for a sliver of approval."

Yuu winced visibly at the reminder of those bygone days. "It wasn't pity?"

"Not pity, but sympathy." Nanami said. "It worried me terribly, long after the fact. So, when I first suspected you three, I kept quiet about it. I was afraid you and Tsukiko would leave, and then one or all of you would get yourselves hurt or even killed. And I couldn't abide that, even after all you did. Because I selfishly wished to save everyone I love."

Sirius let out a disapproving whine. "Please, don't speak like that Lady Nanami!" they said. "Your decision netted us valuable allies! It's nothing to feel shame over!"

"Valuable allies." Yuu echoed, before glancing down at Sirius. "You wanted to ask me about the Soaring Medallion, right?"

"That's right, that's right." Sirius said. "Since you and Tsukiko have Roaring Sparks, and the last two Medallions chose you, then-"

Yuu shook her head. "I want to help you. And it seems you'll need help. But…" She stared down at her hands. "Between Illuster, Celes, and Irene, my hands are heavily stained. Tsukiko… she was willing to reform herself, long before we left Sardonyx. But I…"

"I won't forget what you've put us through." Nanami said firmly. "But I know you want to be better, Yuu. I know you're working to be better. And I know you can grow into a hero of justice like Kohaku and me, if that's what you're willing to do."

Yuu did not meet Nanami's eyes. The reason for that soon became clear, as the sound of loud sniffling caught the princess' ears.

"Sorry…" Yuu mumbled, her voice heavy with shame.

"It's alright." Nanami said. "If you can't show your true heart around your friends, who can you show it around?"

Soon, Tsukiko would message Nanami with more requests, and Yuu would ask to resume their own shopping trip alongside Nanami and Sirius, her volition renewed after her discussion with Nanami. But for now, the three were content to remain where they were. There was no need for words at present.

* * *

Tsukiko was still clearly quite worried about Yuu as she and Kohaku headed to the toy store, in search of plushies for the twins' room. She might not have been as visibly morose as Yuu was, but Kohaku knew full well what a person forcing themselves to smile through stress and worry looked like. She was Nanami's partner, after all.

Everything changed once the two girls actually arrived at the toy store. Once Tsukiko got a chance to drink in the sight of the numerous toys and games on display, the clouds over her heart visibly lifted, and her gray eyes began to sparkle radiantly. Soon, she was eagerly darting around the store, eagerly inspecting building sets, enthusiastically checking out games, and happily cuddling most every plush toy in range. Tsukiko was drawing some amused staring and whispering, but she didn't seem to care.

Kohaku, however, cared quite a bit. Being the center of attention like this was not something she enjoyed, and it left her feeling more uncomfortable by the moment. Once Tsukiko picked up on this, she abandoned inspecting an oversized bear plush and sent an apologetic look Kohaku's way.

"I'm sorry." she said gently. "Guess I need to tone down my excitement."

"I'm just not a fan of this much attention." Kohaku muttered as she consulted her phone – she had been sending the requests Tsukiko made Nanami's way and Nanami was returning the favor with Yuu's. "If it helps, I kind of get it."

Tsukiko tilted her head quizzically. "What do you mean by that?"

Kohaku looked up from her phone, an uncomfortable look on her face. "I wasn't allowed to have much as a child. Toys and dolls were out of the question. And playing games was forbidden after an... incident. It was hard to live with at times. So, I get why you're so worked up."

"I'm sorry, Kohaku." Tsukiko said solemnly.

Kohaku shook her head. "I'm trying to leave in the past. I can make new memories with Nanami – and enjoy all the toys and games I want, if I so choose. You deserve the same thing."

In the end, Tsukiko took home a few more rabbit plushies – "Now my first one can have a family!" – although she intended to come back and expand her collection when she could. From there, she and Kohaku made their way to the home furnishing store, making light conversation in between sending suggestions back and forth with Nanami and Yuu. And even as this went on, something was clearly weighing on Tsukiko's mind. Something that she was certain Yuu had already addressed.

"Hey, Kohaku?" Tsukiko asked the other girl as they looked at comforters for the twins' bedroom. "Would you be okay with Yuu and I becoming Cures?"

Kohaku fell uncomfortably silent. For a moment, Tsukiko grew genuinely worried that she had offended the other girl. But finally, she replied.

"I don't know. About that or you two in general." she said quietly. "It was easy to forgive you back then. It isn't right to begrudge dying people. And if you three had died, it would have freed you from having to deal with the consequences of your actions."

Tsukiko looked down at her hands. "And since we survived…"

"Since you survived, you have to face what you did." More and more barely-suppressed agitation crept into Kohaku's voice as she spoke. "You helped destroy Illuster. You were complicit in Sardonyx's manipulation of Celes. And you attacked so many of our precious people. Maybe Nanami can forgive that, but I can't."

Tsukiko shrank away from Kohaku. "I'm sorry, I-"

Kohaku cut her off with a raised hand. "The only real apology for this kind of thing is to make amends. And you're obviously doing that. You let Sardonyx of your own will. You helped us save Seizato. If you're willing to become Cures and help us undo the damage you caused, I won't complain."

"I will gladly do that, if you'll have me." Tsukiko still sounded shaken, but she managed a genuine smile. "I really want to heal the wounds I helped inflict, however I can."

Kohaku returned Tsukiko's smile. "I can believe that. The Medallions wouldn't respond to hearts without a shred of justice in them."

Tsukiko nodded. "If I'm able to become a Cure, I'll fight my hardest to help you and Nanami. I'm sure Yuu will do the same."

"And if you do, I'll support you as your teammate." Kohaku said. "It's the right thing to do."

And with that settled, the two went back to browsing for furnishings and talking of lighter matters, all as Tsukiko turned the matter of her and Yuu becoming Pretty Cure over in her head.

* * *

In the end, the twins ended up with a decent amount of stuff to their name. It likely wasn't everything they needed, but it was a start, and more importantly, it was theirs. That was finally sinking in for the sisters, who spent the first few moments of their reunion excitedly showing off some of their personal purchases to one another. Yuu proudly displayed the art supplies and binoculars she had picked up on a whim, while Tsukiko happily showed off the plush rabbits and sewing kit she had chosen for herself.

"It's nice, seeing them so content, yes, yes." Sirius said as they regarded the sisters' excited back and forth. "Hard to believe they're the same girls who helped invade Illuster."

Kohaku made a soft, noncommittal noise under her breath. "They are trying to be better. I'll give them that." Then, to Nanami "You and Yuu talked about her becoming a Cure, right?"

Nanami nodded. "And I imagine you did the same with Tsukiko." At Kohaku's answering nod, she added "I won't force anything. A Roaring Medallion cannot resonate with an unwilling heart, right, Siri?"

"That's right, that's right." Sirius agreed. "But something tells me that won't be a problem, if we ever have need of Pavo and Lepus."

Nanami and Kohaku exchanged pointed glances at Sirius' choice of words. Given recent events, it was definitely more like a _when_. But they would try to put their worries about that aside. For now.

With their shopping trip concluded, the group dropped their purchases off at Shooting Star. Tsubasa was there to greet them and offer to put everything in a safe place, until it could be taken to the siblings' apartment. Hisao… wasn't. Apparently, he was feeling sick. It turned out a tall espresso wasn't something he could handle.

Yuu and Tsukiko had been insistent on going back out and exploring the shopping district. If Seizato was to be their home from now on, they wanted to familiarize themselves with it, in ways they had not been able to as servants of the Void Clan. Sirius had insisted on going with them. That left Nanami and Kohaku to their own devices. The moment the Cures had seen the twins and Sirius off, Nanami had turned to Kohaku, her glasses glinting.

"I think it would be nice, sharing ice cream with someone I love." she said. "Shall we?"

Kohaku turned beet red. "Of… of course!" she said. "I'd be honored!"

The two Cures wasted no time in finding a nearby ice cream truck, followed by a place to sit and enjoy their ice cream cones. They sat together in the warmth of the summer sun, enjoying their own and each other's frozen treats. For a moment, the nervousness that still hung heavy in Seizato's air did not matter, nor did their worries over the future. All that mattered was each other's presence.

"Hey." Kohaku said after a long stretch of contented silence. "Nanami, are we together? I mean, as girlfriends?"

Nanami blinked in surprise. "I… I believe so? I have thought of us that way since that night on the beach. If that's alright with you, of course."

"It's more than alright!" Kohaku said. "I guess I just wanted to hear you say it. A part of me was scared that I was being presumptuous."

"Hardly!" Nanami asserted. "You're my precious partner and my wonderful girlfriend. I can restate it as many times as you need me to!"

"The two of us… girlfriends." Kohaku looked both terribly flustered and rather nervous as she echoed Nanami's words. "I know our status means nothing in this world, but…"

"The Queen is allowed to marry whoever she pleases." Nanami smiled wryly at Kohaku. "Including her brave knight, if she so chooses."

Kohaku made a flustered noise under her breath, which rapidly turned into something like the sound of a steaming teakettle, as Nanami moved to clean ice cream off her chin. She eagerly returned the favor once she had collected herself, making Nanami's glasses fog up a bit in response. It took both girls a moment to gather their composure again from there, and that only lasted a moment before both burst out laughing.

"I never thought we would end up like this back then." Nanami said. "There was so much of a wall between us, and now we're together again - and even closer than before. I suppose that's one upside of this ordeal."

"And I'm able to fight alongside you as a fellow warrior. That's another upside." Kohaku's tone and expression grew grimmer from there. "But we can't afford to get complacent. Something tells me Sardonyx is going to get more serious from here."

Nanami made a soft noise of agreement. "And we have to find a way to save Celes as well." She frowned in consternation. "That woman… she and Celes' favorite doll couldn't be one and the same, could they?" But then, this was the same Sardonyx who could turn animals into humans. "I suppose it doesn't matter, but…"

"It _is_ strange." Kohaku agreed. "And a bit concerning. But as long as I'm with you, it won't worry me as much."

Nanami gave Kohaku's hand a firm squeeze under the table. "As long as the two of us are together, we can do all sorts of things. And if the four of us can combine our powers, we'll truly be unstoppable!"

And then the sound of dry laughter carried towards their ears.

"After everything that happened, you still place so much faith in your bonds. What arrogance."

There was an unfamiliar woman approaching Nanami and Kohaku. She was strikingly tall, with bobbed dark red hair and rust-colored eyes. Her very presence made the temperature around her drop and sent a sense of _wrongness_ through the air, sending a wave of anxious chatter throughout the surrounding area. And her movements were strange. Artificial. As if she were the world's most realistic-looking and expertly-controlled marionette.

All thoughts of relaxation were cast to the wind as the Cures abandoned their ice cream, sprang to their feet, and assumed a defensive stance. The sight drew a far too wide smile out of the woman, who transformed in a burst of violet flame.

"Sardonyx!" Nanami and Kohaku chorused.

Immediately, the civilians in the area flew into a panic. Those who did were not left staring in mute terror at Sardonyx immediately moved to flee. Sardonyx did not so much as bat an eye at the sight. She merely clenched a fist as her eyes flashed violet. Ever nearby civilian instantly collapsed, as the color visibly drained from the sky above them.

"Had those three not intervened, you would have been out of my way." Sardonyx's hands crackled with violet flame as she spoke. "It seems I shall have to rectify their mistake."

Nanami and Kohaku were both terribly rattled at present. Both Cures were still haunted by memories of their clash with Sardonyx in the forest, and even now, both still felt a bit drained from their last battle. And that aside… something was wrong here. Sardonyx was clearly no longer herself.

But fleeing was not an option. For the sake of this world, for the sake of Illuster, they had no choice but to fight. So, Nanami and Kohaku readied their Roaring Compacts, a look of resolve on their faces.

"Medal, set! Pretty Cure, Roaring Rebirth!"

* * *

Yuu had almost wanted to hang back at Shooting Star. A part of her wanted some time to think about her next move, especially where Pretty Cure was concerned, and a place without so many birds about. She was not over being cut off from them, not like Tsukiko was with the rabbits. But at the same time, she did not want to be around Hisao, not when the bitterness she felt towards her brother for lying to them had come welling back up within her, and she did not want to leave Tsukiko.

Besides, Tsukiko was right. Seizato was their home now, and the sisters needed to enjoy it. Really enjoy it in a way they had never allowed themselves to before. That Yuu in particular had never allowed herself. So she would allow herself to accompany Tsukiko and Sirius on their stroll around the shopping district.

Nanami and Kohaku had left together. Sirius had been insistent on not traveling their way unless needed. That was not something the twins could understand, but they were willing to accept it. So, they allowed Sirius to guide them around the shopping district. As they went along, Tsukiko stopped to make friendly small talk with numerous shopkeepers and passers-by in the area, while Yuu looked on with a small but genuine smile.

"It's nice to see you so happy." she informed her sister.

"It's nice to feel this happy." Tsukiko replied. "Before, I always felt so scared and guilty, knowing I'd have to destroy this. And now, it's gone. I'm free." She shook her head. " _We're_ free."

Yuu sighed. "I wish I could feel that way too. Freedom isn't something I'm used to."

"I'm sorry." Tsukiko replied quietly.

Yuu just smiled. "You don't have to. In the end, we're not always on the same page. That's okay."

Eventually, the group ended up idling by the storefront of an electronics store. A local news station was covering the incident in Seizato and offering some half-hearted justifications for all that had occurred. Sirius was watching it with a combination of interest and bemusement, while the sisters watched the people of Seizato go about their business. They could no longer see into their hearts, but if they could, they imagined that there would be a beautiful sea of Roaring Sparks flowing before them.

"It's funny." Tsukiko said. "We were created to destroy all of this. But seeing it makes me feel like I've really come home."

"I don't feel like I fit here." Yuu said. "But this world is alive. Just as the three of us are. I'll take that."

The sisters were quiet for some time before Tsukiko glanced towards Sirius, who had since lost their interest in the store window, now that the segment on Seizato's incident was over.

"Hey, Sirius? Do you think those two will be alright by themselves?"

Sirius let out a low whine. "Maybe, maybe not." they admitted reluctantly. "It's why I'm glad we're nearby, yes, yes. We can't be too complacent. But at the same time, it's no good to bother them. They need their space at a time like this."

The twins stared blankly at Sirius. For a moment, both sisters were ready to ask what the librarian even meant by that. But then, Yuu thought better of it and steered the subject to other matters.

"It sounds like you're expecting us to become Pretty Cure."

"Expecting probably isn't the right word." Sirius said. "I think it would be for the best. I don't want Lady Nanami or Kohaku to have to keep struggling alone. But one cannot become Pretty Cure out of obligation, yes, yes. The power is in your hearts, but it can't be forced out."

Before either sister could come up with a fitting response to that one, they felt an uncomfortable prickling on the backs of their necks. Yuu's eyes widened in alarm as the birds near her took wing, and Tsukiko let out a soft noise of shock as the sound of small paws scampering away could be heard.

The color had drained from the sky in the distance, in the exact direction that Nanami and Kohaku had traveled.

"Sardonyx…" Yuu said gravely. She looked towards Tsukiko, a resolute look on her face. "Are you ready?"

Tsukiko looked every bit as resolute as her sister. "Always."

And that decided, the twins hit the ground running in Pretty Cure's direction. Sirius wasted no time in following them. Neither Yuu nor Tsukiko were the warriors they had been before. Neither sister was sure they could do anything to help Nanami and Kohaku. But they hurried towards them anyway. There was no way they could leave their friends alone, powers or none.

* * *

This was not like Pretty Cure's last fight with Sardonyx. No, this was even worse.

Before, Delphinus and Leo had been able to at least land blows on Sardonyx. But now, they found themselves completely unable to touch her. Her movements were now as fast as they were inhuman, allowing her to easily evade every punch, every kick, and every blast of energy that the Cures rained down upon her, before countering with sizable blasts of violet flame. Simply dodging those blows was a struggle for Pretty Cure, who narrowly missed sharing the fate of the now-utterly decimated pieces of scenery around them.

Delphinus and Leo nodded towards one another before scattering in opposite directions. Delphinus summoned her Blossom Scepter and fired a widely-aimed hail of pink water bursts towards Sardonyx. She evaded each and every last projectile, without so much as changing her smugly contemptuous expression.

Sardonyx's attempts at evading Delphinus had brought her right into Leo's line of fire. The moment her opponent drew close enough, Leo summoned her Tempest Saber and zipped towards Sardonyx with the speed and fury of a bolt of lightning, ready to catch her by surprise. She might as well have not even bothered. Sardonyx unblinkingly blocked the blow with a hand blazing with violet energy. Her eyes flashed with violet light as dark energy poured forth from her form, shattering every last bit of glass in the area and blasting Leo away.

"Leo!" Delphinus flew to her partner's side and expertly caught her in her arms before she could hit the ground.

"She really has gotten stronger." Leo hissed through gritted teeth as Delphinus helped her back on her feet.

Sardonyx burst into cold, inhuman-sounding laughter at the sound of Leo's words.

"Stronger? You believe I have become stronger?" she hissed mockingly. "Hardly. This body has so many limitations. Even now, I can feel it wearing out on me." She grinned far too widely as her hands erupted into violet flame. "You two are simply too weak!"

The temperature in the area became unbearably cold, and an intense chill wind blew, forcing both Cures to brace against it, lest they be knocked flat. Before either could recover, Sardonyx sprang forwards, firing an intense blast of dark flame at Delphinus. The pink Cure attempted to evade it, only for Sardonyx to nail her with a high kick after nonchalantly foiling Leo's attempt at an attack with a backhanded punch, sending Delphinus slamming into the wall.

Leo was immediately back on her feet and ready to go after Sardonyx. The instant the orange Cure tried to attack her opponent, she unblinkingly sidestepped the blow. Leo feinted with her left hand, seemingly throwing Sardonyx off, before swinging with her left. Sardonyx caught Leo's fist in her right hand, disabling the orange Cure with a sharp blow to the stomach before throwing her at Delphinus as if Leo weighed nothing at all.

"My, such a pathetic display." Sardonyx coolly informed the injured Pretty Cure, who were struggling to help one another to their feet. "I am suffering thousands of times more than you two, but you do not see me cringing like that."

"What are you talking about?!" Leo demanded.

Leo's question earned a blast of darkness aimed her way. Delphinus narrowly managed to absorb it with her shield, which dissipated upon impact, forcing Leo to steady her.

"I'm… I'm alright." Delphinus said as she tried to keep herself on her feet. She did not sound alright at all.

"That is what I speak of!" Sardonyx snapped indignantly, as her hands began to glow with violet flame. "I am a god! The only existence this universe requires!" She aimed a powerful burst of darkness in Pretty Cure's direction, forcing them to engage their combined shield, their forms glowing with light as they funneled their power into it. "I enjoyed three thousand years of power!" Another blast. The shield was rapidly crumbling, despite both Cures straining to sustain it. "And now… because of your forerunners… I am reduced to… this!"

Sardonyx sent one last blast of flame towards the shield. It shattered like fiberglass, leaving both Cures to collapse onto the ground, both too winded to get back up.

"Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic." Sardonyx drawled as she advanced on the two. "You shall never know the humiliation of having to rely on your inferiors. And still you cower. You are legendary warriors, are you not? What poor heritors of that legacy you are." She noticed Delphinus painfully levering herself off the ground and quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? You still want to fight?"

"We have to!" Delphinus hissed. "Emotions… dreams… willpower… all of it is worth defending, no matter what you have to say about it!" Sardonyx seemed completely unmoved. The sight just earned a sympathetic expression from Delphinus. "Those three could understand that. Why can't you, Sardonyx?"

Sardonyx's face contorted with hatred. "How dare you speak to me like that!" she snapped as her hands ignited into flame once more.

"That's enough!"

Yuu, Tsukiko, and Sirius, who was now in their large dog form, came hurtling towards the scene. Yuu and Tsukiko hurried to the injured Delphinus and Leo's side, each supporting one Cure in her arms, while Sirius planted themselves protectively in front of the four girls, their hackles raised.

"Tsukiko… you shouldn't be here." Delphinus muttered weakly. "You'll get hurt."

Tsukiko shook her head. "I can't leave you alone, Nanami."

"Don't be foolish, Yuu." Leo hissed. "It's not safe for you to be here."

Yuu was unmoved. "I owe you this much, don't I?"

Neither twin's response seemed to assure Pretty Cure any. The two allowed the sisters to help them to their feet, but there was an unspoken _please leave while you can_ written on their faces.

Sardonyx had not so much as budged this entire time. At first, it seemed she was too stunned to do anything. But then, her hands suddenly fell limply to her sides, as a glimmer of recognition surfaced in her eyes – something human looking out beyond something alien. Sardonyx looked downright relieved to see the twins. The sight left the sisters thoroughly lost.

"Tourmaline… Selenite!" Sardonyx sounded genuinely relieved as well. Her eyes were misting slightly. Was this really the same woman who had casually sent her subordinates to die? "You… you're still alive."

Neither Yuu nor Tsukiko replied to Sardonyx. Neither sister seemed at all sure of what to say and both looked terribly confused and shocked by Sardonyx's sudden change of demeanor. Yuu looked especially conflicted over this change of tone, and Tsukiko could sense her twin's mouth working silently out of the corner of her eye. But both sisters remained silent and on the defensive. They would not lower their guard around Sardonyx. Not with Pretty Cure in their current state. Not after what she had done.

It was the right call to make. A moment later, Sardonyx's form suddenly grew rigid and the humanity vanished from her eyes.

"That shall not do at all."

Sardonyx rushed towards the group, hands alight with flame. The twins instinctively moved to transform into their Void Clan attire. Nothing happened. The sisters really were utterly powerless now, leaving them helpless to do anything as Pretty Cure all but carried them out of the way of Sardonyx's attack, leaving her flames to blast an immense gouge in the ground where they and Sirius had stood moments beforehand.

Sardonyx narrowed her eyes at the group. "You actually kept my refuse around. Why would you save malfunctioning tools? I discarded those for a reason." There was a bit of strain creeping into her voice, and her shoulders were beginning to heave slightly. "You really are pathetic."

"Don't speak that way!" Delphinus snapped as she moved protectively in front of Tsukiko. "Yuu and Tsukiko aren't tools! They're every bit as alive as you are! They're here today _because_ they have human hearts!"

"Nanami…" Tsukiko whispered.

The flames surrounding Sardonyx's hands grew in intensity. "They are _things_. Animals warped into the shape of humans. Tools to be used and then thrown away."

"Would you shut up?" Leo snapped as she moved protectively in front of Yuu. "A tool doesn't have emotions! A tool doesn't have a will! And a tool doesn't have dreams! Yuu and Tsukiko do! And that won't change, no matter how much you run your mouth!"

"Kohaku…" Yuu whispered.

That was entirely the wrong answer. Sardonyx blasted a violet fireball towards the group, too swiftly for the Cures to react. Immediately, Sirius leapt in front of them. The librarian gave a cry of pain as the blast caught them across the side, sending them flying into air and slamming hard onto the ground near the group. They were breathing raggedly, but they were still clearly injured.

"Siri!" Delphinus cried.

Sardonyx took advantage of Delphinus' distraction and sprang towards the pink Cure. Leo leapt in front of her partner, holding the Tempest Sword sideways in front of her to form a sizable orange shield. Sardonyx easily tore through Leo's shield with a blade of darkness, leaving the orange Cure to reel backwards. Delphinus saved her from collapsing onto the ground, but it did not seem like she could hold out much longer herself. Indeed, she sank to her knees moments afterward.

"It seems you are nearly spent." Sardonyx sounded arrogant, but there was more strain creeping into her voice by the moment. "I ought to kill you here and now. But I am no fool." She stared pointedly at Delphinus. "The Celestial Orgel. Hand it over, and I will spare you three."

Delphinus glared defiantly at Sardonyx. "I am not letting you kill Yuu and Tsukiko! And I am not letting you condemn this world!"

Sardonyx made an unsettling approximation of a smirk. "Then I will not allow you to live." A chill wind kicked up around her, and her form began to blaze with violet energy as her hands ignited with fire many more times intense than before. "Perish like the pathetic waste you are!"

An enormous blast of dark fire erupted from Sardonyx's hands and rushed towards Pretty Cure and the twins. This time, Delphinus and Leo were far too injured to properly defend themselves. And Sirius was far too wounded to draw on the Celestial Orgel's power and save them like they had before. The four were surely doomed to be incinerate on the spot.

There was no way the twins could let that happen, powerless humans or not. Yuu and Tsukiko nodded to one another before they sprang to their feet and moved towards Delphinus and Leo, trying to push the two Cures out of the way of the blast. They were too late for that. The sisters could feel the intense chill of Sardonyx's approaching attack and distantly hear Delphinus and Leo begging them to stop, and then. Nothing.

But the impact never came.

Yuu and Tsukiko's eyes slowly flickered open to find themselves and Pretty Cure sprawled on the ground and very much alive. The twins were surrounded by an intense light, that Sardonyx seemed unable to so much as look at, rendering her helpless to do a thing against the group.

The source of that light quickly became clear to the sisters as they looked down at their own hearts, which were shining radiantly with light – Yuu's blue and Tsukiko's white. The light in their hearts was resonating with the Soaring and Lunar Medallions, which glowed with similar radiance as they hovered in front of the sisters.

"Yuu, Tsukiko!" Delphinus exclaimed, once she had recovered. "Thank goodness!"

"You really are our comrades." Leo said. "I'm glad."

Pretty Cure's words brought the heretofore stunned twins back to earth. The two helped one another to their feet before they moved to face down the still-stunned Sardonyx.

"I despise you utterly." Yuu said solemnly. "But at the same time, I am grateful to you. Had you not created us, we would have never been able to enjoy the gift of life."

Tsukiko nodded. "We shall always owe you that. But we cannot forgive what you have done. Or what you want to do to everyone. That's why we have to stop you."

"This planet full of natural beauty…" Yuu said.

"These people with loving hearts…" Tsukiko said.

"The four of us will protect them!" the twins chorused.

There was a burst of radiant light, and two Roaring Compacts – Yuu's blue and green and Tsukiko's white and lilac – were hovering directly in front of the twins, alongside the Soaring and Lunar Medallions.

"You two!" Sirius cried. "Transform!"

The twins nodded resolutely before retrieving the Roaring Compacts. They knew exactly what to do from here.

"Medal, set!" Yuu and Tsukiko chorused. The melody of a harp and an acoustic bass sounded as the medallions within the Roaring Compacts spun rapidly, causing them to pulse with blue and white light. "Pretty Cure, Roaring Rebirth!"

An enormous, multicolored sphere of light formed around the twins as they rose around the air. Yuu and Tsukiko's accessories and clothing faded away, replaced with shimmering blue and white light.

Blue wind danced around Yuu's form, resolving into a blue dress with a green-trimmed laced bodice, wing-like golden shoulder pads, a dark green belt with a golden buckle, and a green-trimmed wing-like split skirt with a gold second layer, worn over dark blue shorts and green tights. White light sparkled around Tsukiko's form, forming a of a long-sleeved white dress with lilac detailing on the front, silver fur trim around the cuffs, a dark lilac waist bow, and a bell skirt with lilac detailing and silver fur trim, worn over white bloomers and lilac tights.

Wind danced about Yuu's arms and legs, resolving into elbow-length blue gloves with feathered gold trim and wing-shaped green ornaments on the back, blue shin-length boots with gold folded tops, and a green wing-like cape with gold trim and a peacock feather design. Light sparkled about Tsukiko's arms and legs before resolving into white gloves with lilac crescent ornaments on the back, white ankle-length boots with silver fur trim, and a lilac mantle with silver fur trim.

Still more wind swirled about Yuu's form, creating a green choker with a gold-trimmed blue wing-shaped ornament, along with a pair of blue star-shaped earrings. And still more light sparkled around Tsukiko's form, creating a silver-trimmed white crescent clasp, giving her mantle a dark lilac front bow with a silver-trimmed white crescent clasp.

Yuu's hair turned mint green, grew past her shoulders in a shower of blue sparkles, and became tied up into a high and messy bun by a flowing dark blue ribbon with a green, gold-trimmed star-shaped ornament. Tsukiko's hair turned pink, grew out to her waist in a shower of white sparkles, and became tied into fluffy twintails by flowing white ribbons with lilac silver-trimmed star-shaped ornaments

A white and pink pouch - containing each girl's Roaring Compact - appeared at both Yuu and Tsukiko's waists in a flash of blue and white light, as the two girls opened their eyes, which had turned gold and silver, respectively. The sphere of light dissipated as each girl touched down on the ground in a shower of blue and white sparkles before striking heroic poses.

"Guardian of the sky that shelters the earth! Soaring Knight, Cure Pavo!"

"Guardian of the moon that shines in the night! Lunar Knight, Cure Lepus!"

Cure Pavo and Cure Lepus stood before Sardonyx, their eyes shining defiantly. A ray of light burst through the heretofore gray and clouded sky, casting a natural spotlight on the twins, as a gentle wind kicked up around them.

Sirius looked up weakly, their ice-blue eyes shining. "The warrior of the sky... the warrior of the moon... they've finally awakened!"

"At last!" Delphinus cried as Leo helped her to her feet. "The four of us are finally together!"

Pavo and Lepus turned to Delphinus and Leo, offering the pair a warm smile and a nod, before they faced down Sardonyx, who looked more drained than before.

"This means nothing." Sardonyx projected arrogance in waves, but she was sounding more winded by the moment. "Change your form all you want, but tools cannot change their nature."

Pavo looked completely unmoved by Sardonyx's words. She shot towards her former boss with the swiftness of a harsh gale before sending a flurry of wind-charged blows in her direction. Sardonyx might have been able to dodge and weave out of the way of every last blow, but between Pavo's own speed and her own growing exhaustion, doing so took effort on her end.

"I am no longer a heartless drone!" Pavo said as she drove Sardonyx further back with her rapid-fire assault. "I have found things I value in this world!" Sardonyx disengaged from Pavo and fired several spheres of darkness at her. Pavo created a barrier of wind, giving her just enough room to dodge the blow. "I have found people dear to me!" Sardonyx aimed a high kick towards Pavo, who narrowly stopped the blow with one hand before backflipping out of the way. "I won't let you take them away!"

"Bold words, coming from you, Tourmaline." Sardonyx hissed as she rushed down Pavo and rained a hail of blows in her direction. The blue Cure evaded Sardonyx's attacks without breaking a sweat. "Were you not obsessed with pleasing me?" The two were being carried closer and closer to Leo, who was waiting to strike. Sardonyx did not notice. "Were you not willing to die for me?"

Pavo was completely unmoved. "Maybe Tourmaline did." She came to a stop, the ornaments on the backs of her hands glowing blue as she took aim at Sardonyx. "But I am not Tourmaline!"

Pavo extended her open palm towards Sardonyx. A cyclone of blue wind burst forth from it. Sardonyx was too spent to fully dodge it. It caught her across the side, unbalancing her enough to leave her open to a leaping slash from Leo's Tempest Saber. Neither attack seemed to hurt Sardonyx… physically, at least.

"You…" Sardonyx gaped uncomprehendingly at Leo and then Pavo, who touched down gracefully next to the orange Cure. "How dare you touch me! Do you have any sense at all?!"

"That's my line." Leo drawled as she stood side by side with Pavo, Tempest Saber at the ready.

As Pavo and Leo engaged Sardonyx, Lepus hurried to Sirius' side and laid her hands on their wounds. The ornaments on the backs of her gloves glowed white, and her hands blazed with white light, causing the worst of Sirius' injuries to vanish.

"Are you okay, Sirius?" asked Lepus. She sounded a little winded but otherwise alright.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Sirius said. They sounded a little better, but they were still visibly weakened. "Don't worry about me, Cure Lepus."

Nanami shook her head once Lepus tried to see to her wounds. "I'll be okay." she assured the white Cure. She struggled to her feet as she set Sardonyx in her sights. "She said her body was wearing out on her. And she's looking more exhausted by the moment. If we can outlast her…"

Lepus nodded. "Then we can win. Let's do it, Delphinus!"

Delphinus shot Lepus a beaming smile. "Of course!"

Sardonyx was creating another sizable violet fireball for Pavo and Leo. The moment she tried, Lepus touched down nearby in a shower of white sparkles. The ornaments on the backs of her hands glowed white as she fired a sizable photon of sparkling white light at Sardonyx's arm, causing her to lose her grip on the fireball. It misfired, right as Delphinus touched down nearby in a shower of pink sparkles and completely extinguished it with a blast of pink water.

Sardonyx hissed in disdain before rounding on Delphinus and Lepus and countering with several, smaller fireballs. Lepus leapt in front of Delphinus before creating a shield of white light. It began to crack under the assault, but it was still managing to hold up.

"This is just like you, Selenite." Sardonyx hissed disdainfully. "You never did function correctly. Even now, you are still a misguided fool."

Lepus shook her head sadly, even as she fought to keep her shield up. "You're the one who's misguided, Sardonyx! Sticking to your ugly ideals after everything… I really pity you!"

Sardonyx's eyes flashed violet as she rushed towards Lepus, ready to tear right through her shield and throttle the white Cure for her words. In doing so, she forgot completely about Pavo and Leo, who narrowly managed to graze her with a blast of wind and a blade of lightning before she could properly react. And then Delphinus leapt out from behind Lepus' shield, touching down in a shower of pink sparkles before catching Sardonyx across the chest with a burst of water.

The four Cures regrouped and faced down Sardonyx together. The Void Clan leader was silent for some time. She was panting heavily now, and she almost seemed to be fighting internally with herself. But then her form jerked stiffly and she looked up at Pretty Cure, her face warped with hatred.

"Dealing with you annoying brats… having to fight in this worthless body… never before have I felt such humiliation!" She gave a cry of rage as the temperature in the area lowered, and her form began to glow with violet energy, much more faintly than before. "If you think I will stand down… if you think I will give up!"

Pretty Cure responded by scattering in three directions, with Delphinus going one way, Leo going another, and Pavo and Lepus going yet another way, far too quickly for the badly-drained Sardonyx to do anything about it.

"Pretty Cure Blossom Elegy!" Delphinus cried.

"Pretty Cure Tempest Rock!" Leo cried.

Sardonyx found herself assaulted from all sides with heart-shaped pink globules of water and orange bolts of lightning. The damage of the blows that did connect still seemed to be much more emotional than physical, but it still kept Sardonyx too stunned to do anything, leaving her open to the twins' last assault. The sisters touched down in front of her in a shower of blue and white sparkles before uniting their hands.

"Oh wind, howl and rise!" Pavo cried. The soothing melody of a harp played from her Roaring Compact, which spun rapidly and pulsed with blue light as blue feathers swirled around her form.

"Oh, light, glimmer and shine!" Lepus cried. The relaxing melody of an acoustic bass played from her Roaring Compact, which spun rapidly and pulsed with white light as orbs of sparkling white light danced about her form.

Pavo and Lepus extended their free hands out to the side. The ornaments on the backs of their gloves began to glow as a gradually-growing sphere of golden energy formed between the two sisters.

"Let our roaring hearts-" Pavo cried as she fed blue wind energy into the sphere.

"-shatter the void with their brilliance!" Lepus cried as she fed white light energy into the sphere.

"Pretty Cure!" Pavo and Lepus chorused, as the sphere began to pulse with energy and shine with every color of the rainbow. "Roaring Nova!"

The twins gave a cry of fury as they thrust their arms forwards, sending the sphere flying towards Sardonyx. She crossed her arms defensively in front of her the moment the blow connected, gritting her teeth as her form blazed with violet energy. But it was clear that the Void Clan leader could not resist forever. She was wearing down rapidly. And finally, she appeared to decide it was not worth it to resist. She gave Pavo and Lepus one last baleful glare before a circle of violet runes appeared at her feet.

"This is only temporary." she hissed. "Tourmaline. Selenite. I shall make your deaths especially painful. I guarantee it."

And then Sardonyx was gone in a flash of violet light.

Moments later, Delphinus and Leo collapsed to their knees and lost their transformations, their energy utterly spent. Pavo and Lepus released their own transformations as they hurried to their friends' side. Sirius, still obviously hurting, but well enough to be on their feet, shifted to their normal dog form before following suit.

As the twins and Sirius helped Nanami and Kohaku up, the damage to the surrounding area faded away in a soft shower of light. The group's clash with Sardonyx was finally over. But the real battles were surely just beginning.

* * *

Yuu and Tsukiko had not said much since their first battle as Cures. It bothered Nanami a bit, but she did not anything, even as the group headed back to Shooting Star, their path illuminated by the gradually setting sun. Kohaku and Sirius kept silent as well. It seemed they shared her desire to give the twins all the space they needed to breathe.

Once the group was a short distance from Shooting Star, Yuu paused in her tracks. Her shoulders were trembling slightly.

"I'm glad I was chosen to become Cure Pavo, even after everything." She did not make eye contact with anyone, and her voice caught slightly as she spoke. "But attacking Sardonyx..."

Tsukiko gave her twin's hand a comforting squeeze. "It _was_ hard. And it still hurts to think about. But we had no choice. Not if it meant saving our friends."

Nanami nodded. "You two saved us! Were it not for your help..." She trailed off uncomfortably before she shook her head. "The four of us are together now. And we'll survive to fight another day. That's what matters most."

Kohaku gently intertwined Nanami's fingers with her own as she offered the twins a genuine smile. "If the four of us are together, then we definitely have a fighting chance against Sardonyx. It will get easier, Yuu, Tsukiko. I promise."

"That's right, that's right." Sirius agreed. "And the three of us will be here to support you, no matter what. Just as you will support us, right, right?"

Yuu looked up at the Illuster refugees. She still looked a little torn up, but she managed a smile nonetheless.

"That's right." she said quietly. "That's what teammates do, isn't it?"

"Teammates..." Tsukiko echoed as she matched her sister's smile. And then her eyes widened, as a realization hit her. "Oh! Nanami! Shouldn't we do the thing?"

Nanami didn't even need to ask what Tsukiko was talking about. "Of course!" she said as she extended her hand outward. "Let's cement our vow as a team! For real this time!"

Tsukiko laid her hand on Nanami's own without hesitation. Kohaku followed her lead, followed by Yuu, who seemed even less hesistant than Tsukiko this time. Once again, the four girls withdrew their hands and pumped their fists in the air before giving an enthusiastic shout. But this time, everyone's heart was clearly in it.

For a moment, everyone looked a bit lost on what to do from there. But then the twins grinned at the Illuster refugees.

"Let's go home, everyone." Yuu said.

"I'm sure there's hot cocoa with our names on them!" Tsukiko said.

And with that said, the four members of Pretty Cure and Sirius continued on their way. Their energy might have been spent, but their hearts shined more brightly than ever. And someday, the light of those four hears would surely lead them to victory.


	20. Episode Twenty

**Episode Twenty** : Yuu and Kohaku! The Sky After the Storm!

* * *

 **A/N** : _Warning for discussion of emotional abuse by a parent!_

* * *

She had thought it would be fine like this.

The Seizato Yuu found herself wandering the streets of was not the Seizato she was gradually growing to think of as home. This was the Seizato that would be, should Pretty Cure fail in their mission. A Seizato devoid of life, color, and warmth. A Seizato littered with lifeless and hollow shells, many of which Yuu recognized as former victims of hers.

Yuu forced herself to not look too closely at the bodies. She was afraid of finding Pretty Cure or her siblings among them.

There was a time that Yuu would have relished the sight of this silent world. Not because she herself had ever wanted it. She understood that now. But because it would have made Sardonyx happy. Because Sardonyx's happiness was her happiness. But now, all she could feel as she wandered the dead remains of her new hometown, unable to warm herself no matter how closely she hugged her arms to her chest, was a deep sense of misery… and a sharp surge of self-loathing for ever having fought for this.

True, it had not just been Yuu. All of the Hoshikawa siblings had fought for that world of silence. It was why they had been created. But it was Yuu who had been the most slavishly devoted to their mission. It was Yuu who had been obsessed with pleasing Sardonyx. It was Yuu who had used her slavish devotion as a reason to esteem herself above her siblings. Blaming herself was only logical.

Yuu paused in what had been Seizato's town square. Intellectually, she knew she was dreaming, but that didn't stop the weight of her self-hatred and loneliness from settling upon her chest like a leaden weight, nor did it stop her from trembling all over, no matter how much she tried to gather her composure.

And then she heard footsteps carrying towards her in the distance, followed by an all-too-familiar voice.

"Tourmaline? Is that you?"

Yuu's breath caught in her throat as she slowly turned to find what was unmistakably Sardonyx. She felt her form tense as she regarded the Void Clan leader, who was standing several yards away. She did not need to acknowledge Sardonyx. Not after everything she had put the Hoshikawa siblings through. Not after she and Tsukiko had been reborn as Cure Pavo and Cure Lepus. But…

…the way Sardonyx looked at Yuu, the way she smiled at her, it had something bursting within her. And her words…

"I missed you so much, Tourmaline. Please, come back to me."

…had Yuu running towards Sardonyx despite herself. The same Sardonyx who had ordered her and her siblings to do such terrible things. The same Sardonyx who had lied to them about their very existences and thrown them aside like garbage. The same Sardonyx who some disgusting part of Yuu actually felt guilty over betraying.

Sardonyx affectionately ruffled Yuu's hair the moment the latter drew close. There was genuine pride in her eyes and true kindness in her smile – the expression that Yuu had always wished she could see on Sardonyx's face during her time as Tourmaline. That was what she had truly wanted from her superior. And seeing it now…

"It isn't the same without you here, my most devoted subordinate." Even Sardonyx's tone was disarmingly kind. "I'm so glad you're here with me."

Yuu leaned into Sardonyx's touch despite herself. _I've come home_ , some part of her thought.

A bolt of raw panic shot into Yuu's stomach as she jerked away from Sardonyx, her irises dilated in distress. No, that wasn't right! She hated Sardonyx! She didn't need her! So why, so why...?!

"This isn't it!" Yuu shook her head as she drew further back from Sardonyx. "This isn't what I want at all!"

The pride and warmth vanished from Sardonyx's demeanor immediately.

"Oh?" she asked archly. "Then tell me, why did you fight so hard for this, Tourmaline?" She gestured around the dead mockery of Seizato surrounded them, a cruel smile playing on her lips. "Why did you hang so tightly on my every word? Why were you so eager to sacrifice that girl for me? You wanted this as much as I do!"

Yuu froze in place at the mention of Irene, the girl she had cruelly set up to fall, all so Sardonyx would look at her. Her mouth worked silently as she forced herself to meet Sardonyx's eyes. Even now, seeing disappointment in them stung terribly. Even now, a part of her wanted to make Sardonyx look at her with pride again. And all because… all because Sardonyx was…

She dropped her eyes to the ground, tightening a fist as she spoke.

"It… it was never about your world of silence, Lady Sardonyx. It was because… because…"

Yuu snapped her head up, her eyes wet with tears.

"I wanted you to look at me! Because I loved you! I want you to love me too!"

Sardonyx's face contorted in disgust. "If you loved me, you would have kept obeying me, Tourmaline." She turned away sharply from Yuu. "If you wanted me to look at you, you would have stayed loyal."

Yuu opened her mouth to protest or at least explain herself, only to find that no words would come out. All that issued forth from her throat was the strained cries of the peahen she had been transformed back into.

Yuu laid there, a bird that could do nothing but croak helplessly, even as the ground opened up beneath her. And as she was sent plunging into the endless void below, she heard Sardonyx's voice one last time.

"I'm ashamed to have ever created you. Farewell."

And then Yuu was left with nothing but the sound of her own screams-

* * *

-screams that continued as she sat bolt upright in bed, drenched with sweat.

Immediately, Tsukiko was aware of her twin's hand on her own.

"Yuu? Yuu, it's okay! I'm here now!"

Yuu looked into the worried eyes of Tsukiko, who was sitting up in bed as she stared at her sister with concern and worry. The knowledge that her twin was there for her, that the world was still very much alive, and that she was both human and very far from Sardonyx should have filled Yuu with relief. But none came.

"Thanks…" Yuu muttered as she shakily squeezed Tsukiko's hand. "But… I think I'll be alright."

The Hoshikawa twins' bedroom was split neatly down the middle. Yuu's half was decorated in shades of blue and green and sported a variety of neatly arranged art supplies and a selection of books about nature. Tsukiko's half was white and violet, with a growing army of stuffed animals scattered about and an equally growing collection of fantasy novels and medical journals. The sisters' beds were quite close to each other, close enough for both to reach out and hold one another's hand if need be.

This was not the first time one twin had needed comforting like this in the middle of the night. And it would probably not be the last. But this time, there was no way Yuu could accept Tsukiko's comfort. She had burdened Tsukiko with her pathetic attachment to Sardonyx for the bulk of their existences. If she hadn't been so obsessed, Tsukiko might have found her happiness much sooner. And knowing that, she had no right to dredge such things back up. None at all.

Tsukiko did not look convinced. "I don't think people who are 'alright' wake up screaming. Do you want to talk about it?"

Yuu shook her head. "If we stay up talking, we won't have the energy to enjoy summer break." She made her best attempt at a sigh of annoyance. "The human need to sleep is so inconvenient."

Tsukiko opened her mouth, ready to tell off Yuu for dodging the subject, right as a knock sounded at the twins' bedroom door. Hisao's voice, thick with exhaustion and worry, could be heard on the other side.

"Yuu? Tsukiko? Y'alright in there? Heard screaming."

"We're fine, Hisao!" Yuu called. "Get some sleep! You have your big debut tomorrow, remember?"

A muffled grunt of acknowledgment could be heard, followed by a period of silence, and then finally, the sound of Hisao padding off. Yuu swallowed back the sense of regret she felt for lying to her older brother as well. She had never sought his comfort much, true, but after something like this…

Whatever. It would be fine. Yuu would shoulder these disgusting feelings alone until they finally went away. It was what she deserved.

Tsukiko made a noise of protest as Yuu laid back down. "If you go to bed with something bothering you-"

Yuu rolled over so she was facing her bedroom wall. "Nothing is bothering me, Tsukiko. Nothing important. Good night."

"I… I see." Tsukiko sounded sadly resigned. It dredged up uncomfortable memories for Yuu, who was glad Tsukiko couldn't see the distress on her face. "Good night, Yuu."

And with that said, both sisters quickly drifted off to sleep. Or at least Tsukiko did. Sleep eluded Yuu despite her best efforts, as the echoes of her nightmare swirled about in her mind. Finally, she grabbed her Roaring Compact from under her pillow, holding it close in a last-ditch attempt to distract itself.

It helped a little. Just touching her Compact sent a comforting warmth through her body. What was more, it served as a tangible reminder of who she was now - Cure Pavo, the Soaring Knight. Not Tourmaline of the Void Clan. That girl, along with her pathetic attachment to Sardonyx, was dead and gone.

It didn't make the terrible feelings her nightmare had stirred up within her go away, but it helped enough for Yuu to finally drift off into a mercifully dreamless, if shallow sleep.

* * *

Hisao had never outright admitted he was training to work at Shooting Star, but it was quite obvious to the members of Pretty Cure all the same. When the twins had told Hisao he needed a job to pay for their shared apartment, he had assured them it had already been arranged. Factor in the sheer amount of time he had been hanging around Tsubasa, often staying long into the night to practice making coffee and pastries, and the conclusion could not have been clearer.

So, the four Cures and Sirius knew perfectly well who the 'mysterious new addition' debuting at Shooting Star that morning was. Judging by Tsubasa's wry tone as she had invited the twins to share a cup of coffee and greet her new employee before she opened for the day, she knew perfectly well that they knew.

That morning found Pretty Cure seated at one of Shooting Star's tables. Each Cure was enjoying one of Tsubasa's signature lattes. Or mostly enjoying them, in the case of Kohaku, who had to keep blowing into hers, and Yuu, who barely seemed to register her cup half the time. Sirius sat nearby, nursing a cup of coffee and paging through a book of poetry. And Tsubasa busied herself tidying up Shooting Star a bit, right before she grabbed a nearby mug and hit a spoon against it several times, bringing everyone snapping to attention.

"Everyone! I have an announcement to make!" Tsubasa was beaming with pride – and why not, considering the circumstances. "Starting today, Shooting Star will no longer be a one-woman business! I've decided to take on an assistant – a man who'll do as well by Seizato as I do! And here he is now!"

Everyone present knew Hisao Hoshikawa would be descending the stairs, a hint of nervous anticipation in his gait. But that didn't make the sight of him in a Shooting Star barista uniform any less striking. Between the change of attire, his neatly combed and styled hair, and the conspicuous lack of wrinkles in his clothing, he looked like a new man.

Sirius immediately began applauding. "You look truly, truly amazing, Hisao!" they chirped. "Congratulations!"

Yuu managed a wry smirk. "Ah. You found a hairbrush. Good job."

"Your clothes look so tidy, big bro!" said Tsukiko. "It really makes a difference!"

"Thank you very m- _excuse me_?" Hisao's delight with Sirius' genuine compliment had been forgotten in the face of his sisters' backhanded ones. "I'm nervous enough already, you two! Sheesh…"

Tsubasa gave Hisao a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "There's no need to be nervous! This gal's not a gal who'd train just anyone as an assistant. Trust me, you'll do great." She tipped a wink at the even more visibly flustered Hisao as she swept past him and prepared to open Shooting Star for business. "You've got talent, Hisao, and working here will make you even better. Trust me."

"Tsubasa is right." Nanami said. "Everyone here knows how hard you've been training, and we all know how delicious your food is. For your sake, don't give up!"

Hisao nodded awkwardly. "I'll try not to, princess." As he headed over to the counter, he shot a concerned glance in Yuu's direction. She responded by sharply averting her eyes. Hisao frowned slightly before shifting his focus to Kohaku. "Say, Miss Knight? Mind if I ask you for pointers later on? Seems like everyone agrees you're the best chef here, so…"

Kohaku forgot her still-too-warm latte and snapped to attention. "Me? I guess I wouldn't mind." She was trying to play it cool, but as usual, being complimented had left her visibly flustered. "And 'Kohaku' is fine."

Nanami nodded in agreement. "You're as much of an ally is Tsubasa is. There's no need to be distant."

"Got it, Nanami, Kohaku." Hisao did not look up from the coffee machines as he messed with them, but his tone of voice betrayed how flattered he was by this development. "Well, hopefully this guy can do well by you – and all of Seizato – from now on."

Hisao's case of nerves quickly turned out to be unwarranted. Once Tsubasa opened Shooting Star, prompting Sirius to shift back into their dog form and retreat to their usual spot downstairs, he carried out his duties as a barista with ease. There didn't seem to be any problems with the pastries he had prepared the night before either – a few customers had already tossed some genuine compliments his way after trying them. No, there was no need to worry about Hisao.

Yuu, on the other hand…

It was obvious to everyone present that Yuu had not slept well. There were slight shadows under her eyes, she looked paler than usual, and she was clearly more than a bit out of it. What was more, she had deflected each and every concerned question the Illuster refugees and Tsubasa had sent her way. If Tsukiko and Hisao had tried, she would have done the same - but Tsukiko had clearly given up on getting an answer from her sister, and Hisao was too busy to try.

"There's no need to worry about me." Yuu informed the others between sips of her latte. "I was too excited about summer break to sleep. That's all."

Tsukiko nodded absently. "Right. That was all it was."

Looks were exchanged between Nanami and Kohaku. It was quite obvious that was not all it was, but both knew full well that no good would come from badgering Yuu before she was ready to share her feelings.

"I see." Nanami tried to manage a relieved smile. "Do you have any plans for summer break, Yuu, Tsukiko?"

"I'll be volunteering at the hospital for most of today." said Tsukiko, who looked both awkward and grateful over the change of subject. "I want to learn all I can about being a healer, now that I have the time. And…" Her tone grew more somber for a moment. "Banri-kun was admitted again. I want to be there for him as much as I can."

"Oh my… I'm sorry to hear that." Nanami said. "Please tell him that Kohaku and I said 'hello' – and that there are four Pretty Cure to look out for him now. I know he'd be happy to hear that."

"He would be, wouldn't he?" said Yuu, who tried not to look too uncomfortable at the mention of her last victim. "Why don't you visit him as well, Nanami?"

"I can't. Not today, anyway" Nanami said. "I promised to help Amane with a few volunteer activities. She took on a lot of projects this summer, and I want to help her where I can. I'm afraid she might overdo it if I don't."

"And I'll be doing some more training." Kohaku said. "I want to be in the best shape I can. The fencing team will be entering a few tournaments later this year, and…" She grimaced uncomfortably. "You know the other reason. I can't afford to be complacent."

Nanami laid a reassuring hand over Kohaku's own, just as a loud yawn escaped Yuu, despite the older twin's best attempts to muffle it.

Hisao looked up from his work and quirked an eyebrow.

"You sure you don't need to lay down, Yuu?"

Yuu bristled visibly. "I'm fine!" Her tone was a bit too insistent to be convincing. "Concentrate on your work, Hisao." She took a long sip of her latte. "Anyway, I'll be outside." She indicated the blue artist tote lying under her chair. "The weather is beautiful, and there should be plenty of animals around. It's a perfect chance to…"

And then Yuu's attention was diverted by a pair of customers at Shooting Star's counter – a mother and her young daughter, causing her words to rapidly dry up in her throat. The daughter was clearly afraid of approaching Tsubasa and struggled to place her order. But finally, she managed to sputter it out, prompting her mother to affectionately ruffle her daughter's hair.

"You did really well, Sakura-chan!" she said. "And you were so polite too! I'm so proud of you!"

Yuu felt her stomach turn to ice at the sight. The events of her nightmare began to replay in her head as she watched mother and daughter head to the table to await their treats. There it was. What she had wanted from Sardonyx. What she still wanted from Sardonyx. She felt her lip curl involuntarily at the sight. Why wasn't she…

…it didn't matter to Hisao or Tsukiko, it shouldn't have mattered to her, so why…?

Yuu abruptly pushed her half-finished latte away, grabbed her artist's tote, and rose to her feet. "I'm going. It would be a shame to waste a beautiful day like this. I hope you all have fun." As she prepared to leave, she nodded towards Tsubasa. "Thank you for the coffee, as always. And Hisao… good luck."

And then Yuu was gone, leaving an awkward silence to reign over Pretty Cure's shared table. It took a moment for Tsukiko to finally break through it.

"To be honest… Yuu had a bad nightmare last night." The younger twin stared down at her hands as she spoke. "She won't talk to me about it, but…"

"I'm sorry." Nanami said. "It must hurt to see your sister in such pain."

Tsukiko nodded sadly. "It hurts a lot. But… I know my sister better than anyone else. She's a very private person. If I can't get the truth out of her, you won't be able to either. And forcing it will just make her more upset."

Kohaku said nothing, but it was clear that she agreed wholeheartedly with Nanami and Tsukiko's sentiments. She might not have considered Yuu particularly close quite yet, but the other girl was still a friend and an ally of hers. It was no good to let an ally suffer alone, especially given the expression Yuu had been wearing as she watched those customers. Between that and her remarks after her first fight as a Cure…

 _"I'm glad I was chosen to become Cure Pavo. But attacking Sardonyx..."_

…it was clear that Yuu was still carrying around a great deal of pain on that front. And while Kohaku didn't consider herself anywhere near as good at reading people as Nanami was, she suspected there was something more to it than just betraying a beloved leader. If she was right… well, Kohaku would know about _that_ sort of pain all too well.

* * *

For a brief, shining moment, Celes had felt genuinely hopeful when Sardonyx had summoned her and Vulpecula to the audience chamber of the former Celestial Citadel. Neither of them had seen the Void Clan leader for several days now, not since they had returned from a playdate to find the door to her bedchamber tightly sealed shut with magic. Sardonyx had remained completely unresponsive, no matter what the two had done or said. Either she was gone, or she really needed to be alone in her time of illness.

This had not been the first time that Sardonyx had vanished. And at least Celes had Vulpecula to play with and confide in this time, as opposed to the Void Triad. But these were still terribly anxious times for Celes, given how she had grown to regard Sardonyx. And so, this summons to the audience chamber felt like mana from heaven.

At least until she and Vulpecula were hit by the sense of wrongness in the air. At least until she noticed how cold it was, cold enough that she had to brace against Vulpecula for comfort as the pair approached Sardonyx's throne. At least until she noticed the far-too-precise way that Sardonyx moved as she registered the pair's presence.

The eyes that regarded Celes and Vulpecula were Sardonyx's vermillion, but there was no warmth or humanity in them. The shadow that she cast on the wall was perfectly normal. And the tone she used as she addressed her subordinates…

"Celes. Vulpecula. I have need of you both."

Sardonyx was gone.

Celes found herself opening her mouth and demanding to know why Kugelblitz had completely taken Sardonyx over. But then she thought better of it – the Queen of the Void had seemed to want her existence none to none other than Sardonyx and Celes. And besides… besides, she had to uphold her end of the bargain. Loyal secrecy in exchange for Kugelblitz making her truly useful. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted that anymore, but did it matter what she wanted? Had it ever mattered?

"So, what do you need from us, Lady Sardonyx?" There was a confused lilt in Vulpecula's tone – she had only known Sardonyx briefly, but even she could tell the latter was not herself.

Not that Kugelblitz seemed to notice or care about Vulpecula's confusion. "You are fairly useful, Vulpecula." she said. "But there are four Pretty Cure now." Her lip twitched at the mention of her opponents. "I require more pawns to field against them."

Looks were exchanged between Celes and Vulpecula.

"Pavo and Lepus have awakened?!" Celes squeaked in surprise.

Vulpecula set her head to the side in confusion. "There are supposed to be four Pretty Cure?"

Kugelblitz's nails dug deeply into the arm of her throne, leaving visible gouges. " _It does not matter_." she hissed, the ambient temperature in the room dropping further as her face twisted in irritation. Celes and Vulpecula were definitely standing at attention now. "Vulpecula. Bring me an animal with a usable Roaring Spark. Anything will do. Deliver a jar of flies if you must. Just go to it. _Now_."

Vulpecula nodded nervously. "Of course, Lady Sardonyx!" She was clearly nervous about leaving Celes again and even more nervous about leaving Celes alone with Sardonyx. But then, she knew what had happened to her predecessors for their defiance. She would never put Celes through that. "I'll be back soon, Lady Celes! I promise!"

And with a hesitant wave and a tense smile, Vulpecula vanished in a burst of red stars.

For a moment, Celes genuinely considered fleeing the audience chamber. But then, where would she go? This was a dead world (and whose fault was _that_ ), with nothing left for her. She could not escape to Earth under her own power. And with Vulpecula gone, she had no one to rely on. No one to act as a buffer between her and-

"I know exactly what you are thinking, Celes. And it is exactly as you feared."

Celes forced herself to make eye contact with Kugelblitz. It was a struggle. All she could think of was how kind, if sad those eyes had seemed once.

"Then, Sardonyx is…?" The words died in Celes' throat as she spoke. She couldn't bring herself to say them.

"She is not here anymore." Kugelblitz said. "My power was simply too much for her psyche to endure. In the end, she was far too weak. Not like you, Celes. Not like you at all."

Celes nodded stiffly. She couldn't care about that attempt at a compliment, not when her mind was reeling over the notion of Sardonyx being gone. Had Vulpecula essentially ended up killing her? Was that why Sardonyx had seemed so frightened of that surge of negative energy? And why… why couldn't she shake the notion that Sardonyx had been-?

Kugelblitz rose from her throne and approached Celes, who was too frightened and overwhelmed to move.

"Do not worry about Sardonyx." She smiled unsettlingly widely as she placed a hand on Celes' shoulder, sending an uncomfortable jolt of energy through the young princess' body. "The time of awakening is close at hand. I shall return this vessel to her once I have outgrown it."

So, Sardonyx was not dead. Celes could see her again… someday. She found no comfort in the notion, not when Kugelblitz and the _wrongness_ she brought with her were practically suffocating her senses. She was too busy struggling to keep her form from trembling and her legs from bolting out of the audience chamber.

"Oh, Celes." Kugelblitz stroked Celes' hair, her tone cruelly comforting. "I am so proud of you. To sacrifice your kingdom for me, to so loyally follow my edicts… I could not have chosen a better apprentice. Come. Let us talk for a while. The more I know about you, the more I can help you."

Celes nodded mutely before seating herself on the stairs in front of the throne. Kugelblitz sat right down next to her, her posture far too reminiscent of Sardonyx for comfort. Celes forced herself to talk – about her life in Illuster, about her life as Sardonyx's subordinate, and her wishes for the future. She didn't want to. Not with Kugelblitz. She forced herself to keep going anyway. She didn't want to find out what would happen if she refused.

And all the while, she tried not to think about her anger at Kugelblitz for effectively taking Sardonyx away from her. Or her worry over Vupecula's safety. Or how much she hated herself for ending up in this position.

And most of all, she tried not to think about how much she wanted her big sister.

* * *

Yuu had not always cared about having a mother.

Sure, she had assumed that she and her siblings must have had parents at some point, back when they had believed themselves to be human. Children didn't just spring fully formed out of nowhere. Intellectually, she had understood that. But that had meant little to her at the time. These hypothetical parents of theirs were a part of the Time Before and therefore irrelevant. Why look back at people she could not remember when she had Sardonyx's happiness to look forwards to?

So, Yuu had rolled her eyes when Tsukiko wondered what their parents might have been like, and she had scoffed when Hisao looked terribly awkward and blatantly changed the subject every time Tsukiko asked him about said parents. And Yuu had instead devoted herself to sacrificing other people and her own well-being, all for the sake of Sardonyx's happiness. And why not? It was because she was a loyal servant to Lady Sardonyx. There was nothing more to it.

And then, the Hoshikawa siblings had learned the truth – Sardonyx was the one who had given them life. Sardonyx was effectively their mother.

The idea had not fully sunk in for Yuu at the time of that revelation, not given everything that had followed. But now that she had been reborn as a human, free to live her life without fear of impending nonexistence or possible retribution from Sardonyx, Yuu was suddenly finding herself with plenty of time to think. Plenty of time to notice how the mothers around her treated their children. Plenty of time to realize the affection she saw from them was what she had always craved from Sardonyx.

It was so stupid, Yuu mused bitterly as she made her way to the local park, trying not to let every hug, every "I love you", every comforting word from the parents and children around her get to her. Sardonyx had never truly loved Yuu. If she had ever cared about her, it had been in the way one might have cared about a particularly useful appliance. And...

 _"There are people who love you here. People who would never ask you to hurt others or destroy nature in exchange for that love."_

Nanami had been right back then, and she was right now. Yuu had the love of her siblings and always had. It still felt odd to call Nanami and Kohaku - especially the latter - friends, but she was certain the two did not hate her. Yuu had no need of Sardonyx. Tsukiko and Hisao certainly didn't. They were moving on just fine without her. But not Yuu. Some part of Yuu was still pathetically attached.

It took a bit of searching, but finally Yuu hit upon a good drawing spot - a sturdy-looking tree with similarly sturdy-looking branches, positioned right across from another tree housing an occupied bird's nest. She clambered up onto one branch with surprising agility, pointedly ignoring both the happy families milling about the park and the handful of people staring at her. And then she got out her sketchbook and proceeded to work. Or tried to, at least.

Yuu was angry at Sardonyx, she mused, biting back an unpleasant surge of jealousy as she tried to sketch the mother bird feeding her babies. Hated her, even. But that didn't stop her from feeling like a large part of her had been ripped out. Like there was a huge, Sardonyx-shaped void that she would never fill up. And it didn't stop her from mourning what could have been. What Sardonyx should have been to her.

Yuu bit her lip hard, trying to jolt her attention back towards drawing. She had already filled up quite a few pages in her sketchbook, primarily with drawings of birds, intermingled with a few drawings of other animals. She had dabbled in sketching animals before, back when she was Tourmaline, but she had not allowed herself to enjoy it too much. It had been pointless, after all. Just like everything else that didn't advance Sardonyx's cause.

Now? Now Yuu could allow herself to genuinely enjoy drawing. It was another way to appreciate the beauty of nature, and that aside, Yuu found it genuinely relaxing. Or she usually did, anyway. Right now, her heart just wasn't in it, no matter how hard she tried to concentrate on this page.

And before Yuu could try to return to her drawing, her attention was shattered completely by the sound of a dog's excited barking, coupled with the sound of paws scrabbling on bark. Yuu looked down from her lofty perch to find a large and shaggy tan dog excitedly attempting to scale the tree as it barked greetings at Yuu. Its owner, a small girl with tanned skin and short and curly blue hair, was struggling to get her large and furry companion under control.

"Hey, Raita, calm down!" the girl futilely protested. "I don't need you up another tree!"

Were Yuu in a better frame of mind, she would have come down from her perch immediately to visit with Raita. The dog seemed quite friendly, and she was sure that his soft and fluffy fur would make him wonderful to pet and cuddle with. But Yuu was in anything but a good frame of mind, and thus, she tried her best to ignore the girl and her dog. This was a fool's errand, for moments later, the girl noticed her and let out a loud gasp of recognition.

"Oh, Raita! It's her! Hello, there! I missed you!" The girl excitedly waved at Yuu with one hand while she held the leash of Raita, who had finally calmed down a little, with the other.

Yuu gazed down coolly at the girl. "Do I know you?"

"Kinda!" the girl chirped. "You're the nice older girl who works at Rainbow Connections! Used to work? Anyway! We're in there sometime! You and Irene are always good to us!" She tilted her head in confusion. "Why don't you work there anymore? And why are you up there? Did you get stuck?"

Yuu felt a surge of bile rise to her throat at the mention of the job she had initially only taken as a means to butter up Irene. As a playing piece in her futile quest for Sardonyx's love.

"I quit that job. I'm not coming back."

Yuu did not even bother looking at the girl as she spoke, and she made her tone as sharp and cool as possible. The girl did not budge. Yuu continued to ignore her pointedly. The girl still did not budge.

That was Yuu's cue to sigh heavily, tuck her sketchbook under her arm, and hop down from her lofty perch, landing neatly on her feet. The sight drew a surprised squeak from the girl, but Yuu paid it no mind. She simply swept past the two without another word. It seemed she would have to find a quieter place to draw.

Unfortunately, Yuu was not going to get any peace. Raita seemed bent on following Yuu, and the girl seemed content to let her dog drag her along, all while she excitedly chattered to Yuu like a magpie.

"I'm Takako Oume! But everyone calls me 'Tako'! Like an octopus! Those are my favorite animals! But I bet you already knew that! And this is Raita! You can pet him if you want! He's super-friendly! What's your name? What's your favorite animal? Is it a bird? I bet it's a bird! Is that why you were in that tree? Were you visiting with your bird friends?"

Yuu really wished Tsukiko was here right now. Tsukiko was good with children. Yuu... was not. Irene had been an outlier - sure, Yuu had only been after her Roaring Spark at first, but Irene had quickly proven to be quite level-headed and mature for her age. Most children were far too unpredictable and excitable for Yuu's liking, and Tako here was quickly proving to be no exception.

"You sure talk a lot." Yuu said coolly.

"I just have lots of feelings!" Tako chirped. "So does Raita! I'm sure he would have lots to say if he could talk!" Raita gave several loud barks in agreement, as he attempted to move in for pets from Yuu that would never come. "But I guess he already does, huh?"

Yuu just set her lips in a straight line and pressed onward. Tako still did not take the hint. By the time Yuu had found a choice drawing spot - a large rock at the edge of the park, she and Raita still remained, and Tako had gone through about ten more topics. And then Yuu had gotten out her sketchbook after perching herself on the rock, and Tako had let out a loud gasp.

"You draw?! Can I see?" Before Yuu could respond, Tako had moved in and was gazing over her shoulder at her half-finished sketch of the bird family from earlier, all while struggling to keep Raita off of Yuu. "Oh, neat! Those animals look so real! Like photos! Can you draw me, Miss-?"

"Yuu." She sharply motioned to Tako, who finally took a hint and drew back several yards, keeping Raita from coating Yuu's sketchbook with dog slobber. "And... look, Tako."

Part of Yuu wanted to tell Tako _exactly_ what she thought about being bothered like this. But another part of her immediately thought better of it. Bluntly speaking her mind was half of why she was so disliked among 2-B. And children's feelings were more easily wounded than teenagers' were. Tsukiko had told Yuu as much, and Tsukiko would be ashamed of her twin if she made Tako cry. So, after taking a moment to choose her words carefully, Yuu spoke.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not feeling well." Was her tone gentle enough? Yuu hoped it was. "Besides, I don't really know you. Don't you have friends your age? Or a mother who brought you here? Can't you play with them?"

Tako's demeanor instantly deflated. Even Raita seemed to lose his enthusiasm. He let out a soft whine and moved to let Tako pet him. Suddenly, Yuu regretted speaking.

"Mama is gone." Tako looked aside as she spoke. "She ran away to a town called Kyukai." She began to tremble slightly, burying a hand in Raita's thick and fluffy fur in an attempt to stabilize herself. "My big sister doesn't care. Papa doesn't either. He already found somebody else. But I… I won't…"

Yuu felt the temperature drop as Tako spoke. "Your mother ran away?" Were some mothers like that? "Did she not like you?"

Tako looked horribly offended. "No! Mama loved me a lot! A whole lot! She... she just..." The girl was on the verge of tears now. It made Yuu wish Tsukiko was here even more. Her twin would know what to do about this. "It's okay! If I can find her, I can get her to come back!" She looked up at Yuu, her eyes shining hopefully. "That'll work, right?"

The wind rustled loudly through the surrounding trees as Yuu stared wide-eyed at Tako. It seemed like the young girl was longing for something Yuu wished for herself. The love of someone who had cast her aside. She didn't know how to properly answer Tako's question. She didn't know if there was a proper answer to that question.

"I..." Yuu looked down at her sketchbook. "I think that maybe... it would be nice if..."

"It _would_ be nice." Tako didn't seem to notice Yuu's discontent. Or maybe she was only hearing what she wanted to. "I'll definitely do it! I can if I try! And it'll be okay!" Her voice cracked again as her shoulders began to tremble, drawing a loud whine out of Raita. "It'll... definitely be okay."

Oh god, not only was this child accidentally hitting too close to Yuu's own issues, she was clearly on the verge of breaking down. If this had been Irene, Yuu would have had a rough idea of what to do. As it was, she ended up settling for getting up from her perch, awkwardly patting Tako on the shoulder, and changing the subject once she felt the young girl's trembling subside a little.

"I'll draw you and Raita." she said. "I usually don't draw humans, but I need the practice. Just play with him as usual. Pretend I'm not there."

It took Tako a moment to pull herself together enough to respond. But finally, she wiped her eyes, sniffled loudly, and managed to perk up.

"Understood! C'mon, Raita!" Tako still sounded a bit shaken, but she seemed to have recovered a little. "Let's be good models for Yuu-san!"

Raita gave a bark of agreement before proceeding to spin excitedly around Tako, who ended up being spun in a circle. The sight drew a genuine, if small smile out of Yuu as she picked up her sketchbook and tried to focus on drawing the sight before her. Soon, she was thoroughly absorbed in her work - far too absorbed to notice the pair of glassy red eyes watching her from the nearby trees.

* * *

Capturing an animal with a decent Roaring Spark should have been no trouble at all for Vulpecula. After all, she was several times stronger and far cleverer than the three useless nobodies she had been made to replace. Celes told her so, and Vulpecula saw no reason to doubt a single word out of Celes' mouth.

But alas, there was one thing those three could do that Vulpecula definitely could not – pass as human. Her distinctly non-humanoid ears and large, bushy tail made her stick out like a sore thumb among the scores of humans milling about Seizato. Shifting into her large beast form was not an option either – she found it unlikely that foxes that large existed around here.

So, that left transforming into a normal-sized fox, a form that was perfect for stealthy but made it much more difficult for her to capture any promising-looking animals before they escaped. Oh sure, she could shift into her humanoid form and use her powers, but that would cause a mass panic and then likely summon Pretty Cure to the scene. There were four of them now, only one her, and no choice Roaring Sparks about. She could be badly hurt, and that would make Celes so sad!

So, Vulpecula labored futilely to carry off a decent-looking animal in her fox form. She had enjoyed no luck today – every single target of hers managed to escape, and quite a few of them managed to get in a quick parting shot before they did so.

By the time Vulpecula arrived at Seizato's local park, she was sore all over and thoroughly exhausted in both body and mind. She was tempted to just throw her hands up and bring Sardonyx that jar of flies. It would be so much easier than this madness, _and_ it wouldn't mean leaving Celes alone with that woman any longer than needed. Something about Sardonyx had Vulpecula's hackles up, and someone like that could not be trusted around her Lady Celes.

 _But_ , Vulpecula reminded herself as she staked out a promising-looking hiding spot in the trees surrounding the park, but! Celes would be disappointed in her for taking the easy way out. Sardonyx… probably didn't care, but Celes was a different story. Vulpecula would find a quality friend for Celes, no matter how long it took to…

…Vulpecula let out a soft yip of surprise. That dog, the one pulling that little girl around, it had a promising-looking Roaring Spark! And it was right in reach! Oh sure, the dog was much bigger than she was in this form, but even now, she was no ordinary animal. She still had some measure of power at her disposal, enough to easily subdue it if she could get close enough. And with that decided, Vulpecula began to edge forwards out of her hiding spot. If she could just manage to isolate it…

…and then she noticed the girl seated on the nearby rock and froze where she was, her fur standing on end in shock. Was… was that Tourmaline?!

No, that definitely couldn't be right! Tourmaline was very dead, and if she wasn't dead, she had at least been turned back into a normal animal, just like the rest of her worthless siblings! Besides… something seemed different about this girl, quite unlike the Tourmaline she had fought back then. She didn't even smell quite the same.

"She's a lookalike. Just a lookalike. Calm down." Vulpecula muttered to herself. "Come on! Get out, get the dog, get back to Lady Celes. It'll be just fine."

Vulpecula narrowed her eyes, reared back, sprang forwards-

-and narrowly missed being stepped on by someone jogging in her direction. Vulpecula froze in surprise before slowly looking up at the jogger in question - Kohaku Shishioh. She was showing clear signs of exertion, and she was very much alone. But if you messed with one Pretty Cure, the others would soon follow. Celes had warned her as much.

So, after a frozen half-second of severe awkwardness, Vulpecula turned tail and fled, leaving a simultaneously confused and wary-looking Kohaku, a very excited Tako, and a Raita who was visibly straining against his leash at the sight of an exciting new person.

"Wow! A fox! I've never seen one that close before! Yuu! Did you see it? A real fox!"

Yuu had not looked up from her sketchbook this entire time, so absorbed was she in trying to get this drawing of Tako and Raita just right. Only when Tako addressed her did she start to attention. "A fox, huh...?" Her voice pitched up slightly once she registered Kohaku's presence. "Kohaku? Weren't you busy exercising?"

Kohaku stretched idly. "I'm just taking a break." And seizing an excuse to check up on Yuu, but that didn't need saying. She glanced towards Tako. "Did you notice anything strange? About the fox, I mean." Those eyes... she didn't know if shapeshifting was in Vulpecula's repertoire, but if it was...

Tako shook her head. "Nope! Unless you count it being that close? They usually don't get that close, do they, Kohaku?" She glanced quizzically at Yuu. "Is she your friend?"

Yuu visibly hesitated. Even now, calling Kohaku a friend felt terribly brazen, given their history with one another. More so at the moment, considering the doubts Yuu was plagued by, doubts that she just knew Kohaku would judge her for having. She looked towards Kohaku, wordlessly asking the other girl to answer in her stead.

Kohaku looked confused for a moment, but her eyes quickly softened in understanding. "Yuu is a friend of mine, yes." she informed Tako, even as she moved to shower Raita with affection after an unspoken go-ahead from his owner, much to the dog's obvious delight. Then, to Yuu "How's your drawing going?"

"Alright." Yuu scowled slightly as she looked down at her sketchbook's current page, which contained several sketches of Tako and Raita playing. "As expected, drawing animals is simple, but people... I need far more practice with people." She gazed appraisingly at Kohaku, who was still fussing over Raita. Yes, she probably would be good model material. Assuming she wanted to hang around with Yuu, anyway. "Would you mind-?"

And before Yuu could voice her question, a loud voice cut through the air.

"Takako Oume, what do you think you're doing?!"

Chieko Oume came storming towards the group, a look of disgust on her face. She darted towards Tako as if Yuu and Kohaku weren't even there, before proceeding to wrest Raita's leash from her hand, drawing a sharp cry of protest from the younger girl.

" _Obviously_ , I can't trust you with this." Chieko snapped, apparently oblivious to the tears welling in Tako's eyes and the disapproving stares of her underclassmen. "Let's go."

Kohaku started forwards. "There's no need to speak to her so harshly!"

"There's _every_ need for it!" Chieko snapped back unflinchingly. "She said she was taking Raita on a quick walk, and then she turns around and does this." She rounded on Tako. "You were gone for almost two hours! Do you know how scared our mother was?"

Tako stomped her foot defiantly. "She's not our mother!"

Chieko turned sharply away. "You're _still_ doing this? That woman's not coming back, Takako. Get over it."

"You're lying!" Tako balled her fists. "She has to… our _real_ mama will definitely-!"

Chieko sniffed derisively. "That woman wants nothing to do with us. She said as much." She walked off, a reluctant Raita in tow, only to pause in her tracks once she realized Tako had remained rooted to the spot. "I swear to god, Tako, if you don't get over here right now-!"

Yuu opened her mouth to protest Chieko's harsh words, only for Tako to hold a hand up.

"It's okay. I probably should go home." Her voice was wavering again, and her eyes were welling with tears. "Um… you mean it right, Yuu? I just have to find mom, don't I?" Before Yuu could respond, she did it for her. "I can do it if I try! Don't worry!"

And then the Oume sisters and Raita were gone. Part of Yuu was suffused with cold fury at the sight, but the other part of her just felt drained by the sudden emotional explosion she'd witnessed. And so, she sat down heavily on the ground after a moment of stunned silence. Kohaku joined her soon afterward.

"Did her mother really not want her?" Yuu stared down at the ground as she spoke. "Is it like that for humans?"

Kohaku shifted uncomfortably. "Sometimes it is." An uncomfortable silence, then "Sardonyx was basically your mother, wasn't she?"

"I guess so." Yuu tried to sound detached. She wasn't quite making it. "I loved her a lot. But I did terrible things for that love. I kept Tsukiko from her happiness. I abused Irene's friendship. And I… I took your and Nanami's mothers away from you. I don't need it."

Kohaku felt her heart catch a bit at the mention of Alexandria. "Yuu, my mother wasn't-"

"I get it." said Yuu, who almost certainly did not get it. "There's no need to worry about me, Kohaku Shishioh."

Part of Kohaku wanted to protest further, but then, the old hard-headed and sharp-tongue Yuu Hoshikawa was almost certainly somewhere in there. Thus, Kohaku held her tongue and proceeded to do some more idle stretches, all while snatching glances at Yuu out of the corner of her eye. The other girl seemed almost meditative as she quietly drank in the sights and sounds of nature around her. It made Kohaku reluctant to do anything to disturb her.

But she was already growing restless. She needed to get moving. She couldn't be in anything but the best shape, given their enemies' rising power. Having two new comrades didn't change that fact. So, Kohaku got up as quietly as she could, as not to bother Yuu. It didn't work. The moment she did so, Yuu snapped out of her trance and sprang to her feet.

"I'm going too."

Kohaku frowned a bit. "Should we drop by your apartment? You're not dressed for-"

"I know." Yuu gestured to her sketchbook. "You want to improve your condition, and I want to improve my drawing skills. This will work out for both of us." She paused awkwardly. "If that's fine with you."

"I wouldn't mind." If Yuu was anything like Kohaku, she didn't want to be left alone with her thoughts, no matter how put together she appeared. "I just hope I can provide some good references."

"You will." Yuu swept past Kohaku, a small smile playing on her features. "You'll be a very dynamic model. I've fought you enough to tell."

And then Yuu took off at an astonishingly brisk pace, forcing Kohaku to scramble after her, lest she be left behind. She found it hard not to manage a small smile at that. It seemed like Nanami wasn't the only one who could leave her in the dust by walking.

* * *

Yuu proved to be surprisingly tolerable company for a girl who had, until recently, been a bitter rival of Kohaku's. True, the other girl had proved a poor conversationalist at first, remaining stoic and almost completely silent as she followed Kohaku around Seizato, occasionally pausing to sketch her movements. And it would be a lie to say that Kohaku had forgotten how cold and cruel Yuu had been during her time as a Void Clan member, even if she had no reason to be suspicious of the other girl now.

And yet, Kohaku found herself enjoying Yuu's presence all the same, enough to invite her out to get a bite to eat and spend some time at the arcade once she had finished exercising. Maybe she just felt sorry for the other girl, given what she had inferred about her attitude towards Sardonyx. Maybe she just wanted to keep Yuu close, lest Vulpecula rear her head. (She had seen enough worrying flashes of red out of the corner of her eye.) Maybe she wanted to try and put the past behind her and get to know Yuu as a fellow Cure.

It was probably some combination of the three. And whatever the reason, once Yuu realized that Kohaku had no harsh words for her, she began to speak to her more earnestly. Soon, what had been an awkward silence over lunch at one of Seizato's outdoor cafes quickly turned into a genuine, if low-key conversation.

It seemed that the pair had a fair amount in common. They were both the outdoorsy type. They both had someone they would do anything to protect – Nanami for Kohaku and Tsukiko for Yuu. They both had a soft spot for animals. They both had a strong competitive streak, as their extended duels at multiple arcade attractions, from light gun shooters to skee ball to fighting games reinforced. They both had been raised to think of themselves as subordinate tools first and living beings second.

And although neither girl had verbalized it, they both had been betrayed by the person who had given them life. The person who was supposed to love them unconditionally.

When Kohaku and Yuu finally returned to Shooting Star, both girls were clearly more at ease with each other, and Yuu was clearly feeling a bit better. It was clear that something was still weighing heavily on her mind, but well, Tsukiko had warned everyone that pressuring Yuu would make it worse.

Especially where something like this was concerned. Kohaku understood that full well. She remembered how painful it had been to confess about Alexandria to Nanami.

The two regrouped with Nanami, Tsukiko, and Sirius at one of Shooting Star's outside tables. Tsukiko recounted her adventures at the hospital. ("Banri-kun was so happy, knowing there were four Pretty Cure. Maybe we should take a group picture for him?"), while Nanami caught everyone up on the volunteer work she had helped Amane with.

"What about you, Kohaku, Yuu?" Nanami asked the two between sips of her drink. "You two seem well – did you two have fun together?"

"We did." Yuu said. "She was a wonderful model, and a worthy adversary." Then, to Kohaku "I demand a rematch at that light gun game." Her tone was cool and sharp, but the wry smile on her lips betrayed the affection behind her words.

Kohaku flashed Yuu a wry smile of her own. "I'll take you on any time." Then, to Nanami "Yuu drew me while I exercised. I think things went well for both of us. But…" Her eyes darted about, and she lowered her voice a step before she spoke again. "I'm almost certain Vulpecula was spying on us."

Nanami exchanged knowing glances with Sirius and Tsukiko. "I see. I'll try to keep an eye out as well. In the meantime…" She glanced towards Yuu. "Might I see your sketchbook?"

Yuu hesitated, but only momentarily. "I hope it's adequate." she said as she handed it over to Nanami.

It was clearly more than adequate in Nanami's eyes. "Oh my, these are positively gorgeous!" she exclaimed as she flipped through Yuu's sketchbook. "Kohaku is always so dynamic and elegant when she moves, and you captured that so well! Good job, Yuu?"

Kohaku flushed visibly at her girlfriend's choice of words. "Are my movements that impressive, Nanami?"

"You're always a joy to watch." Nanami gave Kohaku's hand a tight squeeze under the table, drawing a flustered noise from the suddenly red-faced taller girl. The twins exchanged confused glances at the sight. After a moment, Nanami turned her attentions back to Yuu. "Would you mind drawing a portrait of us sometime?"

Yuu looked aside. "Eventually. But not now. I still need practice drawing humans."

Tsukiko took a moment to page through Yuu's sketchbook. "I think these look fine? But… it's your call, Yuu." She cast an appraising glance at her sister. "Are you feeling better?"

"I'm fine." Yuu sounded a bit less strained now, but anyone with eyes could see the way she looked at the families passing by Shooting Star. "How has Hisao been doing? That's the real question."

Sirius looked up from their spot under the table. "Oh, Hisao has been doing a marvelous job, yes, yes. He's already very, very popular from what I can tell. And he's happier than he's been in a long, long time. He told me as much during his break."

"I'm glad." Yuu wanted to be glad anyway. But to have Hisao and Tsukiko thriving while she silently ached was… "I should try one of his pastries later."

"I'd like that as well." Tsukiko said before returning to Yuu's sketchbook. She paused on a page filled with drawings of Tako and Raita. "Oh… how cute!" She looked up at Yuu, tilting her head quizzically. "Who are they, Yuu?"

"Tako Oume and her dog, Raita." Yuu said. "We met at the park, and I agreed to draw her. I want to talk to her again." She wasn't sure what she would say, but after what had happened back at the park, she couldn't leave things where they were. "Preferably with you there, Tsukiko. You're better with kids."

Before Tsukiko could say anything in response, Chieko Oume came tearing towards Pretty Cure's table like her life depended on it. All the color was gone from her face, her hair was a mess, and her eyes were wide in panic and red with tears.

"You! Shishioh-san! And… and the other one!" Chieko, who sounded on the edge of hyperventilating, vaguely gestured towards Yuu. "Did Tako say anything to either of you? About… you saw her last! Where did she-?" She drew a shuddering breath. "Do you know where she would've gone?"

"Gone?" Nanami asked. "Oume-san, what's going on?"

It took Chieko a moment or two to gather herself enough to speak again. "My little sister, Takako. Tako. Whatever. She ran away. We came home, mom got upset, sent Tako to her room, and she. Just. Climbed out of her bedroom window, took the dog, and left. And… and these two!" She gestured again to Kohaku and Yuu "They saw her last, so… so I thought…"

Tsukiko wordlessly got out of her chair before offering it to the increasingly hysterical Chieko, who sank down into it and began to quietly sob. After a few moments, Nanami spoke.

"I'm sorry, Oume-san, but I don't know where your sister is." Kohaku said. "But I'll definitely help you look for her."

"As will I. I wouldn't wish what you feel on anyone, Oume-san." Nanami offered a smile that was mostly sympathetic but tinged with a hint of sadness, a sight that made Kohaku's heart ache and something within the twins' hearts twist a bit. "At times like this, I always checked my little sister's favorite places. Might you know Tako's, Chieko?"

"Y-yeah." Chieko reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a folded slip of paper. "You can copy those into your phone if you want?" As Nanami did so, Chieko buried her face in her hands. "Stupid Tako… if she wasn't so attached to that horrible woman…"

Yuu narrowed her eyes. "Why do you say that?" As Chieko opened her mouth to protest, Yuu cut her off with a raised hand. "Your sister is in a lot of pain, and you call her stupid?"

" _You don't live our life_ -" Chieko hissed.

"You're right." More and more agitation was creeping into Yuu's tone and body language by the second. "I don't. But…" She bit her lip hard as her fist unconsciously tightened. "Your sister isn't stupid for missing her. And she isn't stupid for wanting to see her again!"

Tsukiko's eyes widened in realization. She flew to her twin's side, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. "Yuu…"

Yuu relaxed noticeably the moment her twin flew to her aid. For a moment, Yuu looked like she wanted to say something in response to her sister. But then a realization hit her.

 _"I just have to find mom, don't I? I can do it if I try!"_

Yuu's eyes widened. "That's it. _That's_ what she meant." Before anyone could ask her to clarify, she gently parted from Tsukiko before turning to Kohaku. "Tsukiko and I still don't have phones, so I'll need you to come with me. I have an idea."

"Sure?" Kohaku glanced towards Nanami and Sirius, who nodded in unspoken approval. "I'll go with Yuu, then. Hopefully, we'll be able to regroup soon."

"Then I'll go with Nanami and Sirius." Tsukiko glanced worriedly towards Chieko. "Unless you want me to stay?"

Chieko, who looked a bit cowed now, shook her head. "I'll live. Give me a second, and I'll get back to looking for Tako. I'd be a shitty big sister if I didn't try."

And with that decided, both sets of Cures went in the opposite direction, Nanami and Tsukiko referring to the list of potential search locations on the former's phone as Yuu led Kohaku towards her chosen destination, a look of steely determination in her eyes.

* * *

Kohaku considered herself as quick on her feet as she was physically powerful, even when not transformed. Keeping up with most girls her age was an absolute breeze on her end. But Yuu was not most girls. The older Hoshikawa twin managed to be even lighter on her feet than Kohaku was, even as a normal human. Keeping up with her when she was speed-walking took a bit effort on Kohaku's end. And keeping up with Yuu while she was running? Took far more than a bit.

Kohaku was certainly getting a workout right now. Yuu had kept up a swift pace as the two Cures had made their way further into uptown Seizato. That was fine. A bit taxing, but fine. But then she had hit the ground running without warning, quite nearly leaving Kohaku in the dust. That was not as fine.

At first, Kohaku just tried her best to keep up with Yuu. But after she nearly crashed into several people trying to do so and nearly lost sight of her fellow Cure more than once, she decided enough was enough and came to a stop, right before calling out, as loudly as she could.

"Yuu! Hold up!"

Yuu immediately came to a halt, an unreadable expression on her face as Kohaku closed the gap between them.

"I thought you were right behind me." she said.

Kohaku shook her head. "Even now, I can't quite match your speed, Yuu."

"Ah." Yuu returned to speed-walking again, allowing Kohaku to fall into step with her. "Either way, we need to hurry. We can't let her get on a train."

Kohaku stared at Yuu quizzically. "You think she got on a train?"

"It's just a hunch." Yuu said. "But she said her mother moved to a faraway town. And if you want to go to a faraway place, you take the train, correct?" She frowned. "She was planning this from the beginning. I was just too self-pitying to realize it."

"Yuu, you weren't-" Kohaku started. But Yuu was already speeding up again, forcing Kohaku to do the same, lest she be stuck eating her dust.

Unfortunately, neither Tako nor Raita could be found at Seizato's train station. Yuu and Kohaku combed its perimeter as well as they could before searching what felt like every inch of its platforms. Kohaku even asked a few personnel if they had seen a little girl or a large, tan-colored dog in the area. A few suspected they might have seen figures fitting that description, but no one was certain. In the end, Kohaku and Yuu found themselves in front of the train station, no closer to finding Tako than when they had started.

Yuu punched one of the columns in front of the train station. "I was so certain she'd be there." she hissed in frustration.

Kohaku looked up from her phone. "Nanami and the others aren't having much luck either." she sighed. "She's a little girl – I don't know that she actually could have gotten that far."

Yuu hardly looked comforted by that notion. "Or maybe she did get onto that train. All to see a woman who might not want her." She felt her fists unconsciously tighten as she spoke, keeping her gaze fixed solidly ahead. "Is that normal? Was I right to defend that?"

"Love is complicated, Yuu." Kohaku said quietly. "Especially when it comes to family."

"Really." Yuu laughed dryly at the notion. "Even if your family hurt you? Even if they never loved you? Even if you did horrible things, just so they'd look at you?" She rounded on Kohaku, her visible eye blazing with anguish and fury. "Is it okay to miss them then, Kohaku Shishioh?"

"Yuu, I-" Kohaku started.

Yuu didn't let her finish. "Kohaku… you won't spare my feelings like Nanami would. Not with everything we have lying between us. So, tell me – it's disgusting that even a part of me misses Sardonyx, isn't it? It makes you want to trust me that much less, doesn't it? You hate me for it, don't you?"

Kohaku shook her head. "Yuu, it's understandable that you'd miss her."

Yuu stared uncomprehendingly at Kohaku, a harsh wind kicking up about the pair in the wake of the latter's words. She wanted to protest Kohaku's declaration. Weren't they rivals? Hadn't Yuu's pathetic devotion to Sardonyx caused Kohaku and Nanami so much grief? Didn't Kohaku despise her for taking her mother away from her? But she was too stunned for words to come out.

And a second later, it didn't matter, as a blur of tan shot towards the pair. Suddenly, Kohaku found herself fending off a very excited Raita, who was only barely being kept in check by Tako. The young girl looked rather bedraggled and was carrying a visibly overfull backpack.

"Tako?" Yuu managed to gasp out. "Where were you?"

Tako stared up wide-eyed at Yuu and Kohaku before she suddenly burst out wailing, tears streaming down her face in hot rivulets. It didn't seem like Yuu was going to get an answer to that question. Not right now, anyway.

* * *

It took some time for Tako to calm down enough to tell Yuu and Kohaku what had happened. At first, the young girl had offered some stammered half-explanations before Kohaku had urged her to take a moment for herself first, guided her over to a bench in front of the train station, and headed over to retrieve a drink from a nearby vending machine for her. That left Yuu sitting next to Tako and Raita, who had laid his head in his owner's lap.

After a moment, Tako reached out and silently took Yuu's hand. Yuu had no idea what to say to Tako, but then, holding hands like this seemed to be enough for the young girl, whose sobbing steadily subsided. Once she had taken a few sips of the juice Kohaku had brought back for her, she seemed ready to speak.

"It's true." Tako sniffled. "I was gonna get on the train to Kyukai, but… but! They won't let Raita on! They said he's too big!" Raita backed up her words with a loud whine. "And then it turned out I didn't bring enough money and…" She wiped her eyes with her shirt sleeve. "But it's okay! Because you guys are here! You'll help me and Raita see Mama, right?"

Kohaku shook her head. "I'm sorry, Tako, but I can't do that."

"What?" Tako looked towards Yuu, who gave no confirmation one way or the other, then back to Kohaku. "I have to see Mama, Kohaku! I have to see her no matter what!"

"Even if she's a terrible person?" Yuu asked. "Your sister seems to resent her. Why don't you?"

Tako fell silent at Yuu's statement. It was a while before she responded again.

"I should hate Mama. She said a lot of horrible things to us. She would leave the house for a long time, just to avoid us. And she finally left because she was sick of Papa. But… but even so!" Tako began to tremble as more tears rolled down her cheeks, splashing Raita's fur. "Th-there were good times too… and… and now she's gone, and I… I…"

Kohaku laid a gentle hand on Tako's shoulder. "You feel like there's an empty spot in your heart, right? One that won't stop hurting, no matter what you do."

Tako and Yuu both stared at Kohaku in surprise.

"That's right." Tako said solemnly. "Was your mother... did she treat you badly too?"

Kohaku nodded sadly. "My mother treated me horribly, Tako. But… she was still my mother. The person who gave me life. Even when she mistreated me, I wanted to please her. I thought if I tried hard enough, she would finally love me. Just like a mother is 'supposed' to."

Yuu felt her heart drop into her stomach. "Then, all this time-?"

"My mother didn't deserve what happened to her, Yuu." Kohaku said. "But I didn't deserve the way she treated me, and I don't want her back in my life. And neither of you need someone like that either."

Yuu said nothing in response. There was no need to, and she wasn't sure that she could have managed one anyway. The relief she felt and the realization that she and Kohaku were not half as different as she had once believed were a bit too overwhelming for words at present.

"Maybe… maybe I don't need Mama." Tako muttered, tracing patterns in Raita's fur before looking up hopefully at Kohaku. "But you still miss her, right?" she asked. "There's an empty place in your heart, isn't there?"

"There was." Kohaku said. "And it's only natural. Even if my mother never loved me, I loved her with all my heart. Enough to cling onto the fleeting happy moments with her. And enough to miss her when she was out of my life." She shook her head sadly. "It makes no sense for it to be this painful. I should be happy. But… emotions aren't always logical."

"You said 'was'… so it goes away?" Tako asked.

"Sort of. There's still a hole in my heart. And it still hurts a little sometimes." As Kohaku spoke, she held a hand to her heart. "But it's not empty anymore. Because I've filled it with so many other things. The love of my partner. The care our adult friends show us." She nodded towards Yuu. "And the wonderful allies I've made."

Yuu returned Kohaku's nod with one of her own before turning to Tako. "You have valuable people as well, right?"

Tako sniffled loudly again. "I do. And they'd probably be really sad if I left. But…" She looked from Kohaku to Yuu and then back again. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"My advice? Don't move if you know what's good for you!"

There was a sudden, strong gust of wind in the area, nearly bowling several passers-by in front of the train station over. When it dissipated, the fox from earlier had suddenly appeared in front of the group, looking much more bedraggled than before. Raita immediately sprang forwards, pulling Tako along in the process, his hackles raised as he growled menacingly at the intruder. Yuu and Kohaku glanced at one another before planting themselves protectively in front of Tako.

"So, I was right." Kohaku said. "You were spying on us, Vulpecula."

The fox gave Kohaku the most disapproving look a fox could manage before she transformed into her humanoid form in a flash of red light. Vulpecula had clearly seen better days. Her hair was unkempt and adorned with stray strands of grass and flecks of dirt, her top hat was crooked, and her dress was wrinkled and dingy. Her fluffy tail was twitching back and forth agitatedly, and her ears were flat against her head with irritation.

Before anyone had a chance to register what she was about to do, Vulpecula summoned her baton and sent a red ribbon of starlight directly at Raita, only for Yuu to leap in front of the blow with similarly blinding speed and shove the dog out of the way. The ribbon caught her across the shoulder in the process, and although she tried to remain stoic, it clearly hurt terribly.

Kohaku flew to Yuu's side. "Yuu! Are you alright?"

"I'll live." Yuu said through gritted teeth. Nevertheless, she allowed Kohaku to help her to her feet before she looked towards Tako. "Take Raita and get out of here. Don't worry about us."

Tako nodded and scrambled to retrieve Raita's leash before urging him away from the train station. Unfortunately, she couldn't keep a firm grip on said leash and stumbled and fell forwards, leaving Raita to dart off into the distance without her.

Luckily, Vulpecula was too distracted by Yuu's words to register Tako. "Us?" She set her head to the side. "You're one of the new ones? And… and you're…" She frowned as she scrutinized Yuu's features. "A lookalike! _Definitely_ a lookalike! You can't actually be Tourmaline! She and those other three are dead! Definitely dead!"

Yuu smirked. "That's right. Tourmaline is dead." Even as she spoke, her hand flew to the Roaring Compact in her culottes pocket. "I exist here and now as Yuu Hoshikawa."

"But that's… there's no way-" Before Vulpecula could finish that sentence, she noticed Tako pulling herself to her feet. Her eyes glinted as she gazed inside the young girl's heart. Indeed, her Roaring Spark was blazing brightly, a sight that brought a predatory smile to her lips. "Oh, whatever! You can play with her. I have a dog to capture~!"

Yuu and Kohaku immediately scrambled to Tako's aid. They might as well not have bothered. Vulpecula easily blew past them before appearing in front of Tako. The shock of it all was enough to give Tako her second wind. In the blink of an eye, the young girl was on her feet and blindly fleeing in the opposite direction from Raita.

Vulpecula hardly batted an eyeball at the sight. She simply summoned another red ball of light in her hand before lobbing it towards Tako at a speed far too quick for Yuu or Kohaku to react. The ball went ricocheting off the train station columns, a few trashcans, and a handful of trees with lightning-fast speed before it found its place in Tako's back. Just as before, it passed through her chest, taking her Roaring Spark out with it. It hovered in the air for a moment before blackening and sinking back into her chest.

As Tako was swept up in an intensely crackling tempest of dark violet energy, Kohaku readied her Roaring Compact. Yuu hesitated for a moment before steeling herself and doing the same.

"Medal, set! Pretty Cure, Roaring Rebirth!"

"Guardian of the wind that sweeps through the plains! Tempest Knight, Cure Leo!"

"Guardian of the sky that shelters the earth! Soaring Knight, Cure Pavo!"

The tempest of dark energy dissipated to reveal a hulking, dark violet octopus Utsuroid with empty gold eyes and a red, star-shaped gem on its forehead. It gave a scream of anguish before lunging towards Leo and Pavo with enough speed to easily match the latter's movements. No matter how swiftly the two Cures moved, the Utsuroid was there to cut off their escape, leaving Vulpecula free to flee the scene.

Leo, on the other hand, seemed thoroughly unaffected. "There's no need to worry about her, Pavo."

Indeed, seconds later, Vulpecula was knocked flat by a blur of white. Sirius, now in their large dog form, stood on top of Vulpecula, their immense paws holding her where she was.

"Sorry, sorry, but I can't let you do that!" There was just the barest hint of aggression in their usual cheery tone.

The Utsuroid aimed several of its tentacles at Leo and Pavo. Each appendage formed into a razor-sharp spear as they jabbed them rapidly at the pair, forcing them to work to evade the blows, which tore immense gouges in the concrete.

"This is the kind of pain I caused." Pavo said somberly, even as she searched for an opening to attack. "All so she would look at me."

"You said it yourself, Pavo." Leo responded as she joined her fellow Cure in searching for an opening. "You aren't that person anymore. You can heal her pain. That's your role now."

"Right. The only real apology is action." Pavo nodded solemnly before focusing on the tentacles. Her gold eyes briefly met Leo's before she returned her attention to the Utsuroid. "Hold on, Tako. I'll definitely save you."

Leo and Pavo darted away from the Utsuroid in opposite directions, forcing it to give pursuit. Pavo deliberately drew the tentacles' fire, using her speed and evasion to dart away a split-second before she was hit. Leo summoned the Tempest Saber in a flash of orange light, using it to send a blade of orange lightning at each tentacle that Pavo drew towards her. Her attacks sliced through the tentacles like a hot knife through butter-

-only for them to quickly regrow, no matter how many times Leo lopped them off. The Utsuroid seemed truly relentless.

Vulpecula laid prone for some time, too stunned by Sirius' sudden arrival to do much. For a moment, it seemed like Sirius would be able to hold her in place long enough for Leo and Pavo to defeat the Utsuroid or at least wear it down in time for Delphinus and Lepus to arrive. But then Vulpecula suddenly regained her volition, her face contorting into a snarl as she stared up at Sirius.

"I will _not_ -" she snapped as she glowed red and shifted into her large fox form "-let you ruin-" She gave a sharp cry, summoning just enough strength to throw Sirius off of her, leaving them to hit the ground a few feet away. "-Lady Celes' happiness!"

Vulpecula sprang to her feet and shifted back into her humanoid form before attempting to flee once more... only to find herself narrowly evading a white photon of light. A pink blast of water quickly followed, forcing Vulpecula to leap backwards and out of the way. Delphinus and Lepus touched down before her in a shower of pink and white sparkles a half-second later.

"And we will not let you cause any more pain!" Delphinus said. "No matter who you are or... what you are to Celes." Her voice noticeably faltered on the mention of her sister's name. Vulpecula might not have noticed, but it made Lepus flinch internally. "For everyone's sake, we'll put a stop to your actions!"

Sirius hauled themselves to their feet. "I'll take care of Vulpecula!" they said. "Hurry and help Leo and Pavo!"

Delphinus and Lepus nodded to one another before attempting to regroup with their fellow Cures, who were waging a seemingly futile war with the Utsuroid and its ever-regenerating tentacles. They didn't make it. The second Vulpecula sensed Sirius charging at her, she nonchalantly threw them aside with a well-placed starlight-charged punch before springing into the air and touching down in front of Delphinus and Lepus.

"How are you two alive?!" Vulpecula's eyes blazed with fury and spite, and her hands blazed with red starlight as she stared down Lepus. "Lady Sardonyx disposed of you unnecessary items! So-!" She sent a blast of red starlight towards the pair, forcing Lepus to summon a white shield of light to deflect the attack. " _Clearly_ , I need to fix that!"

"Someone... anyone, please help me!" the Utsuroid wailed as it waged a battle of attrition against Leo and Pavo. "I want to stop hurting! I want to stop hurting now!"

Pavo gritted her teeth as she drew the fire of another tentacle, leaving Leo to move in and slice it off. She wanted nothing more then to fly to her sister's aid and help her fight off Vulpecula. She was certain that Leo would have done anything to help her partner. But that would mean leaving Tako to suffer, and neither of them could allow that. Especially given what an Utsuroid left to suffer would become.

"Is there no end to this?" Pavo glanced worriedly out of the corner of her eye at Delphinus and Lepus. Neither were clearly losing against Vulpecula, but neither were winning either. "We'll wear ourselves out before we save Tako."

"Maybe." Leo said. She did not take her eyes off the Utsuroid as she spoke. "Or maybe the Utsuroid will wear itself out first."

Pavo opened her mouth to ask what Leo meant by that. But then she took a moment to examine, really examine the Utsuroid's movements. She had begun to suspect it was growing easier and easier to dodge, but now she could truly see it for herself. The Utsuroid's movements were growing steadily slower and more laborious with each tentacle that Leo sliced off. It seemed its self-regeneration did come with a cost..

"I see." Pavo said quietly. "Wait for me, Lepus. I'll be there to help you soon."

Vulpecula showed no signs of wearing out. She was, however, growing more and more visibly agitated with Delphinus and Lepus. No matter what she threw at the pink and white Cures, they refused to relent. Vulpecula might not have let them regroup with their fellow Cures, let alone see to Sirius, who had since shifted into their smaller dog form and removed themselves to a safe distance, but the pair were not going to go down without a fight either. Lepus blocked Vulpecula's blasts of starlight with her shields, in between countering her blows with light-charged blows of her own, while Delphinus fought at a distance, keeping Vulpecula on her toes with blasts of water from the Blossom Scepter.

"Damn it!" Vulpecula hissed as she clashed with Delphinus and Lepus. "It wasn't supposed to be like this! Get in, get a new friend for Lady Celes, get out! But _no_ , you four had to get in my way!" Then, to Lepus specifically "And _you two_ had to not die! You'll definitely pay for that!"

Delphinus visibly faltered at another mention of Celes' name, forcing Lepus to deflect an errant blast of starlight before it could hit her.

"Vulpecula... is Celes well? Is she safe?" Delphinus sounded tentatively hopeful despite herself, even as she exchanged blows with Sardonyx. "Please tell me - how is my sister faring?"

Vulpecula's lip twisted in disgust at Delphinus' question. "And why would I tell _you_?!" she snapped. "You're half the reason for her pain!"

Leo bit back a wave of rage at the sound of Vulpecula's cruel words. The temptation to rush to her partner's aid was even stronger, given how badly her words were certain to hurt Delphinus. But there was no way she or Pavo could do that. Not when they were this close to victory.

At this point, the Utsuroid's reflexes had dulled to the point that it could barely hit Leo or Pavo. "Please... someone... please..." it weakly groaned as it managed one futile attack after another.

Pavo leapt backwards and sent a blast of wind towards the defenseless and exhausted Utsuroid, driving it backwards and leaving it wide open to an attack from Leo, who readied a blow with the Tempest Sword.

As this went on, Lepus sprang towards Vulpecula, who found herself narrowly missing a thick, dangerous-looking laser blasted in her direction.

"Shut up!" she said. "Delphinus is a kind big sister! It had nothing to do with her!" _And everything to do with us_ , the white Cure thought to herself. Not that she would dare voice such thoughts.

Vulpecula responded by summoning her baton once more. Delphinus immediately rushed to Lepus' aid, but she was a split second too late. The pair found their limbs snared by ribbons of starlight.

Leo cut through the Utsuroid's forehead gem with the Tempest Saber, leaving it to slump limply on the ground. As she touched back down on the ground in a shower of orange sparkles, Vulpecula's form glowed red as she threw Delphinus and Lepus at Leo and Pavo, far too quickly for the latter to get out of the way. All four Cures were left to hit the ground in a sprawled heap.

"I told you." she sneered as she advanced on the four. "I will not let anyone interfere with Lady Celes' happiness! Utsuroid!"

The Utsuroid might have been badly hurt, but it wasn't out of the game quite yet. It gave an anguished howl before rearing back and spitting several blasts of sticky black liquid at the four members of Pretty Cure and Sirius, who had immediately rushed to help. Only Pavo managed to evade the blasts in time, instinctively dodging with gale-force speed as her comrades were hit. The liquid solidified on contact, bonding Delphinus, Leo, Lepus, and Sirius to the ground.

Pavo was left standing alone, her gold eyes wide with horror. She was faced with an Utsuroid she almost certainly could not purify on her own, and Vulpecula, who burst into sarcastic applause as she approached the blue Cure, her eyes glinting with malice.

"Look at that, saving your own hide and leaving your comrades to suffer!' Vulpecula chirped. "You really are Tourmaline after all!"

Pavo narrowed her eyes and sent a wildly-aimed blast of concentrated wind at Vulpecula. It took no effort for the latter to dodge.

"Oh, such spirit, Tourmaline!" Vulpecula taunted. "I'm surprised a dirty traitor like you can manage that!"

Pavo tightened a fist. "I am _not_ -!"

Vulpecula smirked. "Oh, _please_. I know all about you! How pathetically obsessed with Lady Sardonyx you were, how willing you were to debase yourself for her, how happy you were to backstab that little girl, just so she'd look at you! All that, and she didn't want you in the end! She tossed you away like the trash you are!" Pavo faltered visibly at Vulpecula's words. Her grin grew wider, exposing prominent canine teeth. "Trash unworthy of her love! Trash who can't even protect her friends!"

"Don't listen to her, Pavo!" Leo hissed, even as she and her fellow Cures struggled futilely against their bonds. "You know she's wrong! We know she's wrong! All of us do!"

"Poor, pitiful Tourmaline." Vulpecula sneered as she advanced on Pavo and the others, her hands blazing with red energy. "It must be so painful, knowing your beloved Lady Sardonyx didn't want you! I'm surprised you've lasted this long, knowing how she hates you! But it's okay! I'll make the pay go away!"

Vulpecula moved in for the kill… and was met with a sharp blast of wind to the gut, sending her sliding back several yards. She stared open-mouthed at Pavo who stared defiantly at her, her gold eyes glazing resolutely.

"You're right, Vulpecula." Pavo said coolly. "I loved Sardonyx more than anything. Enough to do so many terrible things in her name. And even now, there's an empty place in my heart where she used to be. One that hurts more than words can say."

Lepus' eyes softened at Pavo's words. "Yuu... so that's why."

Pavo held a hand to her heart. "But it won't stay empty! I have so many wonderful things to fill it with! My precious siblings and my wonderful comrades! The beauty of nature! And the wonderful people I have yet to meet! They're who I'll fight for now, as Cure Pavo!"

As Vulpecula darted forwards, ready to shut Pavo up once and for all, Pavo's heart began to blaze with an intense blue light, sending Vulpecula retreating backwards with a sharp cry of pain. Pavo's Roaring Compact began to spin rapidly and sparkle with blue light as the sound of a harp played.

Pavo's eyes widened in disbelief. "Is this-?"

Indeed, a globe of blue light suddenly appeared before Pavo, right before resolving into a blue and green harp with rainbow-colored strings, a blue wing-shaped crystal at the end of its head and gold accents. Pavo hesitated for a moment, as if the harp might burn her should she touch it before she gathered her resolve and grabbed a hold of it.

The surge of power it sent through her form was the farthest cry from the agony touching the Celestial Orgel had brought her. It felt comforting and... validating somehow. She was now even more certain of who she was, Pavo mused as the words for what to do next floated into her head. Even more certain of who she could grow into.

"Shimmer and fly dazzlingly!" Pavo cried as she wielded the harp with the razor-sharp resolve of a markswoman. "Melody Arm – Soaring Harp!"

Pavo began to play the Soaring Harp, creating an elegant, lilting melody that had Vulpecula wincing and covering her ears in pain. As Pavo continued to play, a strong wind kicked up about her, and blue feathers began to swirl about her form.

"Pretty Cure!" Pavo cried as more and more feathers swirled about in the air around the Utsuroid like a cherry blossom gale. "Soaring Etude!" Pavo pointed the Soaring Harp towards the Utsuroid, causing the feathers to grow razor-sharp and whip up into a blue gale that converged in on the Utsuroid, causing its gem to shatter completely in the resulting heart-shaped, rainbow-colored blast. As this went on behind her, Pavo bowed before walking away unflinchingly

"So warm..." the Utsuroid said as it gave off multicolored energy, which flowed towards the four Cures' Roaring Compacts, before its form resolved an unconscious Tako, whose now-pristine Roaring Spark sunk back into her chest as she was deposited back onto the ground.

The moment the Utsuroid was defeated, the other three Cures and Sirius were released from their bonds. Vulpecula shakily hauled herself to her feet, staring open-mouthed at the sight before stomping her foot in irritation.

"Oh, _fine_!" she sniffed. "I'll go with the jar of flies! I've left Lady Celes with that woman too long anyway!"

And then she was gone in a burst of red stars, leaving Pretty Cure and Sirius alone with the unconscious Tako.

* * *

Shortly after Pretty Cure's battle with Tako's Utsuroid, Chieko had come running towards the group, Raita following at her heels. Her face twisted unrecognizably as she noticed the unconscious Tako in Kohaku's arms before she hurried towards the group. For a moment, she looked ready to blow up at Pretty Cure… but then she noticed that Tako was unhurt and softened a bit.

"She's just exhausted, that's all." Kohaku said as she handed Tako off to Chieko. "She fell asleep shortly after Yuu and I caught up with her."

Yuu nodded. "She must have worn herself out after everything. But… physically, she's alright."

"Emotionally…" Chieko looked uncomfortable for a moment. "We have a lot to talk about after today. I just… I just don't know where to start."

"I think letting her know you're there for her is a start." Yuu said. "Stuff like that doesn't go away overnight." She smiled uncomfortably. "I should know. But knowing my friends and family are there for me has helped a lot. I'm sure it's the same for Tako."

Chieko nodded. She moved to leave with Tako before pausing and turning to regard Pretty Cure and Sirius. "You know, Aiko has said a lot of awful things about you four. I believed them for a long time. But you helped me out in a pinch, so. Thanks. I owe you one."

And then Chieko was gone, Raita following at her heels. The moment she left, Tsukiko immediately pulled Yuu into a hug. Yuu jumped a bit at the sudden physical contact before leaning into her sister's embrace.

"I'm here for you too, Yuu." Tsukiko said as the twins parted from their hug. "Please don't hide your pain like that again. I promise, you're not burdening me."

"I caused so many problems for you, Tsukiko." Yuu said. "All because I was so devoted to Sardonyx. I didn't want to hurt you."

"And hiding your pain isn't hurting me, Yuu?" Tsukiko shook her head. "Sardonyx was a big part of all of our lives. Maybe I wasn't as attached to her as you were, but I still miss her a bit too. And I'm sure big bro feels the same way."

As the twins conversed Kohaku moved to check in on Nanami. "Are you alright?" she said. "After…"

Nanami nodded hesitantly. "I won't lie, it stung terribly. But… I'll see Celes again someday. And I'll release the hold Sardonyx has on her heart. For her sake… I will never give up." The tiniest hint of strain crept into her voice as she spoke. Before anyone could call Nanami on it, she quickly changed the subject. "Hm, what to do now? The evening is young yet."

"Well…" Yuu glanced over at Kohaku. "Is the arcade still open?"

"It is." Kohaku said. After Nanami silently confirmed that she would be alright without her partner's company, she added "You still want that rematch, Yuu Hoshikawa?"

" _Obviously_ , Kohaku Shishioh!" Yuu retorted wryly. "I won't lose this time!"

With that said, Yuu took off in the direction of the arcade, Kohaku chasing after her with a shout of "Yuu, slow down!" Tsukiko tilted her head quizzically at the sight.

"I'm afraid I don't understand." Tsukiko said. "But… it's really nice to see Yuu getting along with her." She nodded. "It will be okay, right, Nanami? As long as we have friends to rely on and a world to save, everything will be okay in the end."

"Of course." Nanami said. "Love is complicated sometimes. Painful, even. But as long as we love each other and this world, it will turn out alright in the end."

Part of Nanami couldn't quite believe that. But she would keep that to herself. She had to face the future with bright eyes, for her comrades' sake and her own.


End file.
